Firefly
by Virgoletta
Summary: Edward never calls and Jacob and Bella kiss. They fall in love. Jacob loves Bella. Bella loves Jacob. 5 years later Jacob imprints. Bella leaves to start a new life far away only to rediscover the world of vampires and trouble ensues...HOPE YOU LIKE IT!
1. The First Kiss

**This is a Bella and Jacob story. This is also a Bella and Edward story. But essentially this is a Bella story. A story about her growing up, in the way she never got to in the originals. This is my alternative version of things, with some completely new places and people. I hope you like it.**

**Enjoy and please review!!!!!! All suggestions, comment and critique welcome**

**Prologue - First kiss**

He leaned in to kiss her. She was limp and did not seem to respond or enjoy it. Jacob pressed his lips harder against Bella's and persisted. He was determined to finally get Bella to understand how she feels about him.

**

Bella was resisting Jacob's kiss by just standing there limply, hoping it would all stop and they could go back to being friends. Her thoughts were rushing through her mind like wildfire.

_No, stop it, you're ruining everything! We're friends, no, no... it will all go wrong and you'll leave me... I don't want to lose you..._

**

Jacob persisted and held Bella even closer. He could feel his determination faltering but he wasn't giving up just yet. He gave it his all.

_Com' on Bells...just listen to your heart!_

**

Bella felt Jacob's lips press against hers even harder with a sort of desperation. As if he might give up any minute now unless she responds. And then she truly would lose him. She finally realised that that was the last thing she wanted and she feared it more than anything else.

_I don't want to lose you Jake...you're the most important, constant thing in my life! You are my best friend. You're my rock. And you've loved without asking anything...without any questions...I don't want to lose you...I don't __**have**__ to lose you.... I love you Jake..._

And so Bella kissed Jacob back with ferocious passion, as if she'd woken up from a deep, dark sleep, a nightmare that kept her a prisoner of her own mind... All of those sleepless nights, feeling numb. And now that she finally let go of her fear, she felt a fire in her belly that she never knew was there.

**

Jacob felt Bella kiss him back with such passion that she pushed him back against the wall in the hallway, crushing the telephone on the wall so the receiver was left dangling. He was taken aback by the ferocity, but just gave into the feeling of happiness that spread from his lips down to the tips of his toes. At some point their kiss became a little less urgent, but was still deep and passionate. They just kissed. He lost track of time.

**

Bella was finally ready to unlock herself from Jacob. She looked at him with a combination of surprise and joy. She was free of the gut wrenching pain and emptiness that had torn through her since last September when Edward left. She felt elated and high on happiness. She loved Jacob! It was such a relief to finally admit this.

"I love you." Words ran out of her mouth as if they had been trapped there for too long waiting to be uttered. "I love you Jake. I. Love. You." She took his warm hand, kissed it and put his palm against her cheek. And then she lifted it above her head and twirled in the hallway of Charlie's small house. _Bella Swan loves Jacob Black...Bella and Jake!_

**

Jacob was stunned by the kiss and the look on Bella's face when he finally opened his eyes. He kissed her for so long fearing it was a dream and he would wake up. But it wasn't. Bella looked at him the way he longed for since she came to Forks a year ago.

And then she finally said it!

_She loves me...Bella Swan loves me._

He was looking for traces of the pain, pity, regret, fear or all of the above. But there was nothing. She kissed his hand and placed it on her cheek, and then started twirling. Twirling!

_She really loves me...Bella Swan loves Jacob Black. _

"I love you Bells! But you already knew that..."

Jacob started laughing and Bella joined in. She kept twirling until finally her clumsiness took over and he pulled her in for another long kiss so she wouldn't fall on her face.

***

After another long kiss, during which they managed to drag themselves to the sofa and sat down, they both relaxed and sat in silence. Bella was engulfed by Jacob's huge frame and listened to his heart beating. Her mind wandered.

_This feels right. This is good. _

She smiled to herself and settled in even more deeply into Jacob's back. He made a satisfied noise but said nothing.

_Hm, Charlie will probably be pleased with this....CHARLIE! _

She suddenly remembered where Charlie was and sat up. Jacob tensed up and looked at her with concern. She smiled at him and lay back.

It was Harry Clearwater's funeral today. Charlie was there to represent the Swans as Bella was deemed to frail to come. So Jacob was on babysitting duty to ensure Bella stayed safe.

"Not really a wonder." She whispered.

"What do you mean?" Jake looked at her with concern once more.

"Oh, I mean, no wonder you are babysitting me today. Both of us should really be at the funeral..." she smiled weakly at Jacob. He exhaled with relief.

"Oh, you mean the months of catatonic depression, followed by ridiculous acting out including trying to kill yourself on the bike? Culminating in jumping off the cliff? Don't be silly Bells. You've been through a lot and you don't need to be at a funeral."

He was going for humour and light relief.

"That's just it! I've been so wrapped in my own stuff, I've not really paid attention to anything else and now Harry is dead. I should be there for Charlie, for Billy...I should be there for you. And here you are, once again, here you are for me." With that she kissed him lightly and smiled.

_Wow, how blind was I? He's been here all this time. With patience, dedication. And love. Above all love, that I've dismissed all this time in a stupid hope that Edward would come back... how dumb... well at least I am finally free. And I'm happy. _


	2. Bella and Jacob

**OK, this part should make the Bella and Jake fans happy...**

**Bella + Jake **

Charles Swan unlocked the door dejectedly. His life had taken a complicated turn lately. After years wishing to have Bella by his side, he certainly got more than he bargained for. He was a father to a very unhappy teenager who's been on the brink of suicide for months now and neither him nor Renee knew what to do about it. And now one of his best friends had died. And there was the small matter of a wild animal killing people...Yup, his life was far from simple these days...

He walked into the hallway where he found the receiver hanging off the wall. An instant wave of panic came over him. He looked over to the living room and was shocked by the sight. Pleasantly shocked.

Bella was asleep on the sofa and she looked peaceful and content. But that wasn't it. She was asleep on the sofa in the arms of Jake Black who was also asleep with a stupid grin on his face.

_Finally! Look at her. She's at peace. I really hope this lasts and that Jake does right by her. _

"Ahem..." he feigned a cough to catch their attention. Nothing. Not a muscle moved. They were both in deep sleep.

_Well, I guess, I'm going to bed early today..._He looked longingly at his flat-screen, but just walked up to his room. With a smile on his face.

****

Bella woke up. She remembered what happened yesterday and a warm glow of happiness spread through her. And then she saw the time. 8.15am

_Aw, sh**! Will be late for school. And so will Jake...Why didn't Charlie wake us up? _

She jumped up and ran into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Charlie was sitting in the kitchen eating his breakfast and reading the paper.

"Good morning Bells. A good nights sleep?" He looked at her with a grin and winked.

"What?" she blushed. "Erm...yes, thanks. Why didn't you wake me up? Or Jake?"

"Well, I called Billy to let him know that Jake might stay here last night and" he paused for dramatic effect and grinned even more widely "And you haven't slept this well since last September, so I called the school and told them that you may be a little late this morning." He finished, quite pleased with himself.

"Ah, yeah, that was the best night in months...erm....yeah..thanks. Erm....so you and Billy talked about...erm...you know, about Jake and I?"

"Well, only that Jake may stay here last night. I mean, was there anything else we should have talked about?" Charlie was loving this! Bella wasn't.

"Erm...well...erm...I guess not. And yes, Jake may spend a bit more time here. And vice versa..." Bella blushed and smiled and then left the kitchen. At the same moment Jake peered his head into the kitchen and flashed the signature Jake smile at Charlie.

"Morning Charlie. How are you?" He looked at his cell phone and he looked a bit more serious. "O.K. Gotta go...Have a great day. See you soon. Bells wait!" he ran after Bella and that was that.

Charlie was left behind with a grin like a Cheshire cat. He was on the phone to Billy the next second.

*****

It was the end of school on the first day of the rest of her life. Bella was walking up to her old Chevy truck and there was Jake sitting on the hood, smiling at her. He jumped off and walked towards her. They faced each other grinning stupidly. Jake looked at Bella expectantly. This was her turf and she knew it was her move.

"Hello boyfriend! Don't you have a class you should be at?" She grabbed his hand and they started walking to the car.

"Erm, no – there was some trouble today, so until we get things sorted with Victoria, the pack get special privileges" He flinched as he spoke, but quickly followed that with a signature smile. Bella flinched at the mention of trouble and Victoria. She felt a pang of guilt about it, but was completely distracted by Jake's smile.

"And I've been given a special task to take care of you. Quite convenient, don't you think? You get to see me whenever you are not in school…"

"Oh, I think I can manage that!" Bella replied happily. She pulled his arm around her and they continued to walk to the car. She kissed him gently before sitting down in the driver's seat. Jake walked to the passenger side grinning at Bella's school friends.

Yes, Bella's exceedingly patient group of friends - Jessica, Mike, Eric, Ben, Angela - were watching their every move in a state of mild shock. Angela and Jessica whispered to each other and giggled, Eric and Ben looked puzzled but only mildly interested. Mike on the other hand looked unhappy. _First that bloody Cullen and now this beefcake? I really don't stand a chance..._

*****

Bella was pouring over her biology homework, while Jake was pouring over his English homework. The radio was blasting in his garage, while the rain was pounding hard. They had cleaned it up, put a couple of old work desks and a very comfy old sofa in there so they could have some comfort. Jake had even painted a corner to make it seem more like a lounge rather than a bike garage. So, this was their lair, their safe place. They regularly escaped their interfering fathers who spent most of their time ribbing them about grandchildren and other such ridiculous stuff. And also to allow the rest of Forks and La Push to get used to the fact they were now finally a couple. It had been a month and the prom was fast approaching, so everyone had moved on to more important things such as outfits and prom dates. Bella could not care less about a dress and she already had a date!

Bella found herself super-extra motivated for school and given her last few months, she had a lot of catching up to do. But she relished every boring test, essay and another college brochure shoved her way. In fact, she'd never felt any drive for anything even though she was actually pretty good at most subject (except PE…). But now, after months of apathy and giving up on life, she really enjoyed looking at programmes and options at even the Ivy league schools. And she could see how happy it made Charlie. Jake was very supportive, but she saw a shadow pass over his lovely face every time he saw a school out east or in California. But she was determined to try. And she now knew what she wanted to do. She decided to major in Biology (NO BLOOD! Strictly plants and molecules…), and minor in English literature.

She was done with the homework and she had a final application to write. She really hope she would get into this one. It was University of Washington in Seattle. U Dub. That would be a compromise – a good school that was close enough for Jake. Fingers crossed. Bella looked over at Jake who'd given up on homework and was taking apart a bike engine. He was fully concentrated on his task and there was a little frown between his eyes and he was biting his lip. _He's gorgeous and he doesn't even know it!_ Bella was admiring his powerful frame and his toned body and her thoughts shifted from applications to something all together less academic. She shook herself out of her reverie and tried to concentrate.

"Hey Jake sweetie…" Bella started uncertainly. He looked up and smiled raising his eyebrows. "Would you help me with my essay for this final application?" He stopped mid-action holding the engine parts and the smile disappeared. He exhaled slowly, getting that anxious look that came back every time she shoved another application under his nose to help her with. But in a flash he plastered on a weak smile.

"Of course Bells. Where are we applying today?" He looked at the application form and this time he actually grinned. "U Dub? Oh, that would be great! I mean, Seattle is only an hour away, and I could move there and still patrol….Go U Dub!"

He was so relieved that he actually picked Bella up as she was a feather and sat her down on his lap. They worked on her essay for another hour before taking a break for the evening. Jake was very enthusiastic and helpful. At the end Bella had a decent essay that she could polish tomorrow. Bella was pleased, but she also realised that there was the matter of what Jake would do with his life that needed to be addressed. He had a destiny, but once he finished school he also needed a job. She was always worried about approaching this subject, as Jake himself wasn't quite ready to discuss this with either Billy or Sam. So she asked the next closest question.

"So…erm… any sign of Victoria?" She asked uncertainly. Jake looked at her with unease.

"Erm, no, she seemed to have disappeared from the area. Things seem to have calmed down. We are still keeping a close watch though. But at least you're off the radar. For good behaviour and my excellent work as your guardian…"

Jake hated these questions as much as Bella hated asking them. He tried to lighten the tone.

"So, that's why I'm stuck with this English homework… wanna help?" he pointed at the papers strewn in front of him and smiled hopefully.

Bella decided to drop the subject for another time and picked up the paper he held to her. It was at least she could do after all of the applications and essays he helped her with. So they started on another essay, Bella at the computer and Jake keeping her warm.

********

Things continued in a similar way for the next few weeks. Bella was done with finals, but helped Jake to get ready for his. She kept asking the questions about patrolling and Victoria and Jake kept saying that things were actually on the boring side as nothing seemed to happen and Victoria was away. And then the letters from the colleges started coming in. A couple of rejections from schools in the east, acceptance from a couple of schools in California but nothing from U Dub.

And then about a week before the prom, the letter arrived. Bella and Charlie sat in the lounge with the letter. After about 10 minutes, Charlie grabbed it.

"Lem'me open it Bells. Look, it's a big thick one, that means you're in." Bella grabbed the letter back and realised she was being a wuss. She dealt with much bigger sh** than not getting in...She tore it open.

"I GOT IN!!!!! Oh Dad, I'm in!!!! Oh, that's so great...." Bella was ecstatic.

"Oh, hon, that's great. I am really happy for you. And, I get to see you regularly...." Charlie hugged his daughter. He was actually REALLY relieved. He just got her back as his normal Bella and he didn't want to lose her again.

Bella stood up and got her car keys.

"I got to tell Jake! He'll be really pleased." with that she ran out to her car. And then managed to trip a couple of times on her own feet, but managed to make it to the car in one piece. Charlie looked out the window and laughed. _She is the clumsiest person I've seen..._

Bella was so excited and wanted to be at Jake's in about a second. Her old Chevy strained away, but started after a couple of attempts. She finally arrived in one piece.

"Hey Jake!" she shouted out from the car and continued walking towards the house. She just touched the door handle and Jake opened the door. She could see the rest of the pack in the house. They were obviously discussing pack business so Jake came out.

"Hey Bells! Everything OK?" Jake could sense Bella was excited and that normally wasn't a good thing.

"YES!!!! I got in! U Dub, I got in!!!! We're going to Seattle!!!" She shoved the acceptance letter in his face. He read it and with the realisation of what that meant he lifted her up and held her close.

"That's great!!!!!! Oh Bella, that is such good news! We ARE going to Seattle!!!! I was just talking to Sam and Dad about, you know, the future, us….and this will make things so much easier!!!" Jake was visibly relieved and he smiled the biggest smile. He led her into the house. There was no need for explanations, as the pack heard everything. Billy looked pleased and relieved. Sam, who was always serious, gave Bella a little smile. That was all she could hope for. The rest of them were too busy eating.

*****

That night Jake was on patrol duty with Sam. They phased and were running in a large circle around La Push and Forks. Since the Cullens left, the rules of the game changed. The pack's domain was extended to Forks and even Cullen's house was fair game. Jake always felt a jolt of happiness when he ran past it. He also took the opportunity to mark his territory whenever he passed around there. (_Hehehe_…). It had been quiet for a few weeks, but the pack was still vigilant. Jake could feel Sam was about to 'talk' to him. He could see images of him and Bella and he knew what this was going to be about.

"Jake, do you love her?" Jake was surprised by the simplicity of the question.

"You know I do…I mean, I've loved her ever since she came back to Forks"

"I know that, but do you LOVE her? I mean, is she the one? Have you felt that incredible draw to Bella that no-one alive can break? Have you imprinted?" Sam explained and he flashed images of himself and Emily and himself and Leah at Jake to try to make him understand what he meant.

"YES! I'm sure. I want to be with her all the time, she's more important to me than anyone else, I would kill for her. I have killed for her…Is that proof enough? Is this about me leaving with Bella?" Jake was irritated at Sam. Sam was not going to make it easy for Jake to go anywhere or to make any decisions.

"Look Jake, I need to be sure. I mean, you're my second in command and could be more if you wanted to…I can't just let you go. And with the hunt for Victoria….I need to be sure that Bella is really the one for you." Sam was trying to appease his young wolf. Jake was incredibly protective of Bella and Sam knew that she was probably the most important thing in his life, but it was a risk allowing him to leave.

"I guess if you're in Seattle, we can work it out. You would still need to come back to patrol and if things get hairy again, I would need you here the whole time. " Sam could feel Jake's happiness instantly.

"Oh, thank you Sam!!!! I won't let the pack down. And Seattle is only about 30 minutes run away…."

And that was the end of the discussion. Sam focused on the run and went quiet. Jake was so thrilled, it was difficult to focus on the patrol, he was thinking about what would happen. His main passion was Bella. Followed by bikes, Building and repairing them. And that he could do anywhere. So, he would work on bikes on Seattle. Plenty of bikes to fix in Seattle. He could hardly wait to see Bella and tell her about the great news. He could feel Sam relax and so did he. He let his wolf instincts take over and he started to enjoy the run.

*********

Bella was incredibly nervous. She was feeling nauseous. She was staring at herself in the mirror. Angela was standing behind her with a huge grin. Bella was in a dress. A prom dress. She avoided the dress issue until the last minute. These last few days she actually wished Alice were there to force her into a ridiculous dress and shoes. But, here she was standing in the shop in Port Angeles the day before the prom, with Angela and Jessica helping her out. The dress she was wearing at that moment was very simple knee length and deep red. Her shoes actually had a heel. Both of the girls clearly loved the dress. _I do like this outfit..._

"This is the one! Aw Bella, you look great. Girl, you look sexy!" Angela said and turned to Jessica who giggled. "Big plans for tomorrow night?" They were teasing her. Bella waved dismissively.

"Yes, my big plan is not to fall on my ass in these heels. Anything beyond that is a massive bonus. And besides it's not any of your business....". Both girls started giggling again.

Bella was in a state of mild panic about the prom, that was true. But she could hardly deny that it was increasingly difficult not to just jump Jake's incredibly sexy and buff body. And she was pretty sure he felt the same. _But on prom night? Such a cliché_.

****

"Looking sharp son." Billy looked over at his only son, standing nervously in a suit. Jake turned to his Dad and smiled.

"Thanks Dad. I just want to look good for Bella. She makes me so happy, you know?"

He looked at himself in the mirror again and was pleased. He was excited to see Bella all dressed up. They've never actually done anything like this. This would be kind of their first full on date and he wanted it to be right. He wanted it to be romantic and nice. He got to the car and drove to the Swan's. Charlie opened the door and nodded with what Jake hoped was approval.

"Bells, Jake's here" Charlie shouted.

"Be down in a minute..." Bella shouted. Jake smiled nervously and looked over at Charlie.

"Don't laugh, OK?" Bella shouted again. Jake and Charlie looked at each other and Charlie winked at Jake.

"Of course we won't, don't be ridiculous...Come on down already!" Charlie called.

Bella made a few uncertain steps and started walking down. She was wearing a simple dark red dress and her hair was held up loosely, with a few curls falling over her shoulders. Jake felt his jaw drop slightly as a surge of passion ran through his system.

_Wow! I've never seen her look so amazing. She is so beautiful! And that dress it quite tight...Keep it together man, Charlie's looking at you. But she's sooo hot!_

At that moment Bella tripped slightly and Jake held his hand to help her down. They grinned at each other stupidly.

"Bells you are so beautiful! You look amazing. Wow!" Jake blurted.

"Yes you do." Charlie was beaming. He was reminded of the year before when she stood looking just as awkward with Edward beaming at her. _This time, I hope things work out better for you sweetie._

Jake helped Bella out to the car and held the door open for her. Just before she sat down, he kissed her. At first gently, and then with more fire. Bella responded enthusiastically. They broke the kiss and looked at one another.

"We...should....erm get going...." Jake said in a raspy voice. Bella nodded and he walked over to the driver's side. Before he could get into the car, Jake needed a moment to collect himself. Once again he felt some of his more canine impulses taking over and he felt like he would start panting soon.... He looked over to Bella smiling at him in the car.

A million thoughts went through his head as he stood there. He had fought so long for Bella and he was happy for the last month to be with her and spend time with her and take things slow. But now he wanted more. He wanted her completely...and kisses like these made it difficult for him to take things slow. But he didn't want to force Bella to do anything she wasn't ready for. And he was still afraid that what she feels for him is too fragile to take it to the next step.

All of this took about two seconds and he sat down to drive. He started the car and eased onto the road when Bella grabbed his shoulder.

"I don't want to go to the prom..." Bella whispered.

"What do you mean?" He looked over to her and she looked at him intently. She looked a bit nervous. "Oh, com'on Bells you'll be fine. Don't worry about dancing. I am just as bad, so we can look stupid together!" Jake dismissed her worries. She smiled and stroked his face and snuggled under his arm. He kissed her hair gently. She looked up and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"No, Jake, that's not what I mean. I don't want to go to the prom, because I'd like us to go somewhere on our own...I want to be with you Jake..." She whispered in his ear.

"Oh...." Jake realised what she was saying and his heart started pounding. He pulled over and looked at her. "Are you sure? I definitely want to be with you...I mean I've wanted this for, like, forever..." Jake was whispering now. Bella smiled and stroked his face.

"Yes, I do..." Bella sounded a bit raspy now. "But I didn't want to do the getting-it-over-with-after-the-prom thing. So lets not go to the prom. I haven't actually planned anything but when I saw you tonight, I just knew this is the right time.....I don't actually have an idea where we could go though..."

"Well, I had a little surprise for you for later on tonight, but there's nothing stopping us from going now." He started driving to his house. Bella snuggled tightly under his arm and they drove on quietly. His heart was pounding. Hers was too. They both forgot their big plans with their lovely clothes and their first real date. This was much bigger...

When he pulled up, Jake got out the car and asked Bella to wait. He disappeared into the garage and called out to her. She walked in nervously and then gasped.

Jake had obviously spent a lot of time decorating their lair with little fairy lights. He also brought some wild flowers and ivy vines and spread them around the room. It looked like a magical woodland under a starry sky. Bella felt as if she walked into Midsummer Night's Dream and that wasn't far from reality as it was close to first day of summer. It was beautiful.

And there he was, her beautiful, kind, sweet and VERY sexy boyfriend standing in the middle of it all. He put some music on and pulled her to him. She could feel his heart pounding hard as they moved in sync with each other, but not the music. They kissed and this time, they didn't stop. It all came naturally. They took each other's clothes off slowly and soon they were lying on the sofa exploring their bodies more intently and intensely than ever before. Their initial nervousness dissolved quickly as their passion burned and took over. And then they were both ready. They looked at each other as they made love completely for the first time. It was slow, clumsy and painful but also beautiful and incredibly intense. Afterwards they held one another happily, Jake's powerful frame engulfing Bella's.

"I love you Bells. You're my soul mate." Jake whispered in her ear.

"I love you Jake. You're my soul..." Bella responded and then scribbled something on a piece of paper next to her. She showed to Jake.

Bells&Jake 4ever


	3. What happened next

**What happened next**

Bella woke up with a startle. She sat up with her heart pounding. She wasn't sure why, but then she remembered that it was the day of her graduation. This was it, she was finally leaving school and moving to Seattle. That and the fact that she hadn't seen Jake for a week as he had suddenly visit his big sister Rachel in Seattle, so she missed him. She still wasn't convinced that was the reason she woke up so abruptly, but she didn't have time. She got up and started getting ready for the ceremony and then saw her U Dub student info and her heart filled with joy. She grew to love Forks, with its sleepiness, the giant trees, and misty quality of air. BUT, she needed the buzz of a big city - getting lost in the crowds, the music scene, the art scene and more than one coffee shop-stroke-dinner in town. Seattle had it all. Except the sun, of course...

Bella survived the public spectacle of the graduation ceremony without any major clumsiness. Probably because she was happy. Happiness of the last year did help her improve her overall lack of co-ordination. And today was great. Charlie was beaming, Jake made it and beamed even more and even Renee made an appearance, even though it meant leaving Phil and coming to Forks (two things she hated the most). Jake and Bella were going with Renee to Florida the next day and Bella could enjoy the sun for a few weeks, so she was in happiness central. All in all, a great day.

So, when she woke up with a startle the next morning again, she was not impressed. But this time, she knew exactly why. A dream she had not dreamt for over a year came back. Bella dreamt of Edward. She didn't remember anything else, just the feeling of Edward. It wasn't unpleasant, just left her feeling a little melancholic. She sat in her bed for a few minutes getting over this. That's all she got because as soon as Renee realised she was awake, there was a frenzy of action and before she knew it, she was sitting on a plane with Renee on one side and Jake on the other. And as they were both nervous fliers, Renee and Jake chattered about Bella and his plans for Seattle. And as with all nervous people, this was a conversation at super sonic speed. Bella did make out that Renee was pleased with the plans.

So what were their plans? She would dorm with Jessica and Jake would visit after school and weekends. Then, once Jake finishes school, he would move to Seattle and they would get a place together. And it would all work out.

And it did.

Bella and Jake had a great holiday together in Florida. This was their first proper holiday. Out of Forks and with no pack business interfering. Even though lately, Jake said things settled down and were remarkably quiet. So Jake and Bella were in heaven. They spent a lot of time making up all of the nights Jake had to spend patrolling. Passion sparkled.

The rest of the summer went by in preparations for the move and then Bella and Jessica finally packed her old Chevy and drove to Seattle. Their room was small but it was theirs. Jessica made it extra girly, but Bella didn't really care. Rachel, Jake's sister, took them under her wing and helped them navigate through college life. And she got Bella into yoga of all things. And Bella actually didn't suck. And yoga finally helped her co-ordination and balance, therefore her propensity to fall over things and her general clumsiness.

Jessica proved to be a great roomie - she was the source of all gossip and always got them invited to the best parties. On the more academic side, Bella enjoyed it all. English literature proved a great antidote to all of her biology/biochemistry/botany/organic chemistry/genetic engineering classes.

But most of all, Bella looked forward to seeing Jake and telling him all about it. He would come in the afternoons and they would study together and at weekends, they would plot and scheme about their future. They were planning to move in together in the fall, and Bella started looking for a small place they could afford. Jake found a job in a garage where he would do what he did best - fixing and making engines.

Jake's duties to the pack were still regular, but things seemed to be quieter. Jake was saying that no vampires came close to La Push and Forks, not even the wider peninsula. They stayed vigilant and monitored the area. All was quiet on that front. Bella finally stopped worrying and was counting the days for them to start living together in Seattle.

The year flew by and once again it was time for finals. This time it was THE finals for Jake and they studied hard together. The finals came and went, so did Jake's graduation and after another summer with Renee in Florida, Jake and Bella finally moved in together. They loved it. It was their little love nest.

Life continued on uneventfully for the next three years. Bella continued to go to college - specialising in molecular biology in the end - she was PRETTY good at lab stuff as long there was no blood in her vicinity. The other side was the English lit - and let's face it, it was just an excuse to read a lot of books, and then talk about them. Jake was doing well too - he moved up from fixing bikes to building them and he also started to work as a riding instructor. The job also gave him the flexibility to go to La Push to help out with the patrols. A few covens passed through the area, however things remained quiet. No more Quileute boys turned into werewolves and that was a good sign, but the pack stayed vigilant.

Bella and Jake continued in love as they did on that lovely Midsummer's night in La Push.

******

"Hey babe, I'm home" Jake called out to Bella. He heard her mumble back. She was at her desk, looking a bit frazzled. Her laptop was on her lap, the desk was covered in notes and books. She was studying for her finals. The last college finals. She had been stressed for the last month, but in only a week they it would all be over and they could celebrate their 5-year anniversary. He looked over at his beautiful tired girlfriend. He still felt just as in love with her as the day she brought those banged up bikes to him all those years ago. Benefits of imprinting, I guess... He planned a little trip on their bikes to Vancouver straight after her finals. It would be just what she needed to recover.

"Babe, you need to eat. I'll get something together. Be ready in about 30 minutes" he called out to her.

Bella heard something about food. She was so focused that she didn't notice that Jake came in. But food sounded good, even though she didn't have time for anything. Her exams were tomorrow and she was STRESSED. This was it, the last exams and then end of college life and the start of her career. This was the other reason for her stress. She needed to talk to Jake about her plans and these were not necessarily compatible with his.

What happened to Bella during her time at college was that she developed ambition. She wanted to get as far as a scientific career would take her. Her field of interest was a hot topic and she could get far. The best labs in the US were on the east coast, however, the best one was in Scotland. As in Scotland, United Kingdom, several thousand miles away. Working in Prof Gray's lab would push her career forward with lightning speed.

Jake would not like this. Moving from La Push to Seattle was already a massive step. She couldn't expect him to leave. She talked to Charlie and Renee. Renee was Renee - she was talking about seizing the opportunity and going to see the world - don't settle down with the first boy you like. Charlie was actually quite helpful and suggested that she should find something in closer to Forks but with the opportunity to go away for a few months to visit other laboratories as a placement. Bella was stunned at Charlie's grasp of the way the scientific world works. Charlie had clearly done his homework. In fact, what Charlie did, was talk to his cousin from Denver who was married to a scientist and who suggested this option.

Charlie's idea was the perfect solution, so Bella applied for a summer internship with Prof Gray and also applied for the PhD programme at UW. She got a positive response from both that morning. Which was great, but she still needed to talk to Jake and her stress levels were through the roof.

She was shaken out of her thoughts by Jake's hand stroking her shoulder and calling her to eat. She suddenly smelt the food and was ravenous. Must get through the finals first though....But I must eat first!

*****

They were riding along the back roads in British Columbia and going to the mountains. Bella was enjoying the rush of biking. The last three hours of riding helped her relax and take away the stress of the finals. She was DONE! And this morning Jake got her up early and took her on a mystery ride. He still didn't tell her where they were going but she kinda liked it and just enjoyed the ride. Obviously they were in Canada, but other than that she was in the dark and the pressure melted away. Except for that little matter of her plans for the summer she never discussed with Jake. And she was going to have to do that pretty quickly as she was supposed to go in about a month.

They finished their ride in a small lodge with beautiful views across a lake. Jake went through a lot of effort and prepared a romantic meal and they finished it all off with a beautiful night of tender love. It was pretty much a perfect anniversary celebration. Bella woke up the next morning and prepared breakfast in bed for Jake and she knew she would have to approach the subject of her plan.

"Hey, thank you for a wonderful time yesterday. It was just what I needed." Bella started, still avoiding the actual subject.

"Anything for you babe. You were so stressed, I knew you needed to relax." Jake smiled at her and stroked her face.

"And I did. But hon, I need to talk to you about something you might not be too thrilled about." Jake sat up and raised his eyebrows.

"...hit me...." He felt her stress levels go up again. Clearly this was big and now he was getting nervous.

"OK. Erm, here goes. You know how I applied for an internship in the best lab in my field? And also the PhD programme at UW? Well I got both." Bella paused and looked up at him. Jake grinned.

"Oh my God Bells, that's amazing news! I'm so proud of you!!!!" Bella silenced him putting her finger on his lips. She wasn't done.

"The internship starts next month for four months, so it basically means we won't have a summer together." She paused again to let him process the information. His expression changed slightly to a question. She continued.

"And, erm...Professor Gray's lab is not in Seattle." Jake was starting to understand what she was saying.

"It's in Scotland. Edinburgh to be precise. The one in the United Kingdom." She finally finished. Jake's expression turned from happy to expectant to anxious and finally to annoyed.

"Scotland? You never told me it was in Scotland. You'd think you'd mention that....Isn't there an internship somewhere in a thousand mile radius? On this continent?" He looked over to Bella. She was looking anxious.

"I'm guessing Charlie knows all about this? And you didn't tell me because you knew I wouldn't be too happy, but you wanted to go anyway? So, basically I don't have a choice. Not cool Bells." He stopped. He could feel himself getting increasingly angry and his instincts were taking over. He stood up quickly and stepped away from Bella. He knew what could happen if he lost control. Emily was living proof and Sam is still in agony about it.

Bella saw that Jake was upset. Very upset. The kind of upset that could make him lose control. He stood up and walked away to the other end of the room.

"You're right about all of it, but this is my big chance. You know I want to get ahead in my career and working with Prof Gray will open so many doors for me. I mean that guy offered me a PhD and I declined 'cos I wanted to be with you." Bella tried to justify what she'd done. Her last sentence pushed Jake over the edge.

"Oh, so I'm keeping you back? Well, I'm sorry about that, but you know I can't leave La Push with the Leeches and particularly Victoria out there still!!!! And it's not like I have any f***ing choice in the matter!" Bella was shocked. She'd never seen Jake so angry. He started pacing around the room and opened the window to jump out. In about 3 seconds he phased and ran off.

_Oh, this did not go very well....sh**, f***, f***......_

Bella sat on the porch waiting for Jake to come back. She couldn't blame him for his anger. She knew he was worried, but she was still shocked at his reaction. They had some pretty big fights, but he never phased before. The sun was slowly moving across the sky and it was early afternoon when she saw Jake's naked figure coming out of the woods. She still got a tingling sensation every time she saw Jake in all his glory. This time instead she was searching his face to guess his mood. He smiled at her, but with a sadness. She ran to him and they stood embracing in silence.

"I'm so sorry Jake."

"No, listen, I'm sorry, I know this wasn't easy for you and you must have analysed your options. I'm sorry for losing it so badly. At least I managed to leave on time." Jake kissed her hair.

"This is big. And it will help you with your career. I'll just have to learn not to worry about you. But you have to promise me that you'll tell me if there's even a whiff of trouble. Promise?"

"Promise. I'll miss you so much Jake."

"OK then....I guess I'll be working double hard at the garage...."

Bella left for Scotland a week after her graduation and Jake started counting the days until she would come back to him


	4. Logan

**Logan**

It was Monday. Another cross on the calendar - only 2 weeks to go! Bella was coming back for her birthday and he was now finally allowing himself to get excited about seeing her.

Jacob was trying hard, and failing miserably, to concentrate on what he was doing. He'd been working on the latest Triumph Bonneville restoration brought in by a Mr Jones. For the last hour and all he managed to do is move a few valves around. Good thing John isn't here today. He was in charge of the garage for the day - Todd and Mike were working away on their latest machine and not paying any attention to Jacob. _Concentrate!_ He finally did, and soon he finally started proper work on the engine.

It was 2pm and his next client was due to arrive any minute. Apparently some 16-year old named Logan. Daddy already bought a supped-up Aprilia RS125 for the kid's birthday - a really cool machine. Jacob worked on in and Todd styled it in red and black. All in all; a total waste on a 16 year old novice.

At 2.10 (they were late!) "Daddy" turned out to be Mr Triumph-Bonneville Jones. He walked into the garage. Jacob said hello to him and then moved behind to say hello to his student. "And you must be Logan" he said, stretching out his hand to shake it with his student and then looked up.

Several things happened at once.

Jacob looked into a set of very beautiful blue eyes and gasped. He felt as if he was struck by a car (he knew what that felt like and this was actually worse...), followed by someone cruelly ripping his heart out, and serving it on a plate to Logan.

Logan, as it turned out, was a girl. A beautiful girl, with blue eyes, olive complexion and chestnut hair. The eyes smiled back and a sweet, slightly coarse voice talked back.

"Hi Jacob, yes, I am Logan. Are you OK?" her smile turned into a frown. And what a frown it was. Her skin wrinkled between her eyebrows and she looked at Jacob with concern. Oh wow, look at her eyebrows...

"Ahm, yes, yes, I am fine, of course I am fine!... Sorry about that.., Can you excuse me for a moment Mr Jones, Logan?" Jacob tried to move to the office casually, even though he wanted to phase and run away to Sam to ask him about what just happened. But he knew. Deep down, instinctively he knew. And the realisation crept slowly to his consciousness.

Jacob Black imprinted on Logan Jones.

*****

He started hyperventilating and the room started spinning slightly. "_Calm DOWN_!" he shouted to himself internally. He stood in the office trying to gather his thoughts. They were racing through his head at a thousand miles a minute.

"What? How? Why? Why now? Is this even possible? Who is this girl? How? What? Bella? Bella?!? Oh crap, what am I going to tell Bella? After what the Leech...Edward did to her, how can I do this to her as well?"

However, even as these thoughts were going through his head, all her could really think about was Logan and her aquamarine eyes and how he wanted to be with her and declare his everlasting love. His heart was racing and he needed his full self-control not to phase.

"_Calm down, you idiot_!" he hissed to himself and exhaled deeply. He looked in the mirror and put his most charming 'signature Jake' smile (Bella's favourite) and walked out again. To him it seemed like an eternity, but all of this actually happened in less than a minute.

"'K, Logan, can you please fill this form out before we start. Mr Jones, you'll need to sign the consent form, here and here". Jacob held out the form to "Daddy" while peaking at Logan filling the form out and absorbing her every movement. She handed it back to Jacob - Logan Taini Jones. Taini?

"Taini? That's an interesting name. Mean anything?" His Quileute background and education (not that he paid much attention in school) taught him enough to know that Taini was definitely a tribal name.

"Yes, it means "returning moon", it was my great grandmother's name; She was from the Omaha tribe" Logan said, smiling back.

Jacob had to control his urge not to stare at Logan, grab and kiss her. It was an uncontrollable urge to be near her, to touch her and protect her. After another deep exhale, he finally managed to focus on the job as Logan started to ask him a lot of questions about the bike and the lessons.

The first hour of instructions was finally over. Mr Jones picked Logan up and they left. Jacob made up some excuse to Todd leaving him in charge and left the garage. He had to get to Billy and Sam pronto. He got on his bike to get out of Seattle but as soon as he was out of town he went to his usual spot, left his bike and phased - it was sooo much faster. The added benefit of instant communication with Sam without saying a word was what he really needed. Of course, the rest of the pack could hear him as well, but he didn't care. Most of them had imprinted by now so they can offer some words of advice, or at least sympathy with this problem.

Sam picked up on Jacob and immediately realised what happened. He was on patrol alone and called Jacob over to the perimeter. They phased back. Sam stared at Jacob with a look of concern and pity. He'd gone through this with Leah. The love of his life. Or so he thought until he met her cousin Emily and imprinted on her. Emily and Sam were ecstatically happy and now even more so as they had a family. Sam understood what Jacob was going through. No-one else can quite understand, just how powerful the switch is. Yes, Jacob still loves Bella, but at this very moment, he could not care less if she stayed in Scotland forever or if she was standing right behind him. All that mattered was Logan.

Sam listened to Jacob agonising over what just happened. The strange thing was the Logan did not seem to have any connection to the tribe or this area. Sure she had some Omaha blood, but in Quileute terms, she might as well been from Egypt. They would solve that problem when it came to it. First things first. Jacob had to deal with Billy, Bella, Charlie and most of all had to figure out how to unleash his everlasting love on an unsuspecting sweet sixteen in Seattle! Without sounding like a stalker...

Sam and Jacob went to see Billy. Billy listened patiently. Even though the wolf transformation skipped a generation, he was fully aware of the power of imprinting. He was incredibly sad about Bella and wasn't quite sure how he would deal with Charlie, who he loved like a brother and especially as they had been plotting about things to do with their grandchildren in a few years time.

"Jacob, don't tell Logan anything until you've had a chance to talk to Bella. She deserves to know first. I mean GOD, poor girl. She's been through so much already. I don't know what this would do to her" Billy sighed.

"I know dad, but Bells is very strong. She's no longer a little fragile thing from a few years ago. Since we've been together, she's never been so strong and determined. And look how well she's doing. I mean she was top of her class and she got into the PhD programme at UW" Jacob tried to appease himself with images of strong and determined Bella that can deal with anything life throws her way. That didn't last though...

"Aaaw, CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!" the worry spilled over and his strong argument about Bella didn't seem so strong any more. Yes it's true, Bella found peace and was happy and all of this through their love. Bells+Jake 4ever...and now he will be even worse than the Leech! The bloodsucker. How in the HELL did it ever come to this? He, Jacob Black, will be worse for Bella Swan than Edward Cullen ever was!

Billy looked over to his son with sadness. Sam sat in silence.

"Billy's right Jake. You need to speak with Bella first and Emily can help you in dealing with Logan." Sam stood up suddenly. "I need to speak to her. I'll call you". He left the house, phased and ran into the woods.

Jacob sat dejectedly on the sofa. He closed his eyes and saw Logan's beautiful blue eyes staring back at him. He felt a warm glow. Then a pair of chestnut brown eyes appeared from the darkness and looked at him with a hollow expression.

Bella, as she was in the first days when Edward left...Bella, when he rescued after that cliff jump....

Bella, Bella, Bella....

He suddenly felt the urge to run, and run far, far away from it all. He ran out of the house, phased and disappeared. He kept running, past Seattle, kept going north beyond the border, into Canada. He finally stopped as he saw the lights of Vancouver. "_You can't just run away from this, you have to face the music.."_ and he turned back. When he finally made it to the apartment the answering machine bleeped indicating there was a message. He pressed play and Bella's soft voice filled the room:

"_Hello Jake sweetie? Heloooo! Oooh I guess you're not around...hoped I could talk to you, I guess you are out with the pack? Just a short update then. I've had a really exciting day - it looks like the work I did her will be published in a paper next year. It's soo exciting! Can you imagine Bella Swan, a published scientist at 22? Anywho...don't want to bore you with the geeky stuff. This place still amazes me - I mean Edinburgh is such a spectacular place; the castle sitting on top of a rock in the middle of the city! And there is this huge festival on at the moment. Fringe they call it - comedy, dance, theatre and a lot of Shakespeare - and you know how I love my Shakespeare! All in all having a ball. The festival finishes this weekend with massive fireworks. That should be fun. Will take some photos to show you. The weather is still just as bad as at home....Anyway..erm...How about you? Any interesting bikes in the shop? How's Billy? Rachel? OK, I gotta go! Forever yours! luv ya!_

Jacob listened to the message again. He sighed deeply. He will hurt her beyond words and she's talking about Shakespeare and fireworks. _Geez....._He opened the laptop and wrote a quick message - _Sorry I missed you, was patrolling. No news to report. Counting the days. love you J_

He couldn't sleep. He sat on the sofa staring at the moon trying to figure out what he would do.


	5. How to Express Undying Love

**How to express undying love**

The following two weeks were a bit of a blur. Jacob continued to teach Logan while concentrating intensely on not bursting out with declarations of love. He was still agonising over Bella and how to deal with this. He needed advice from the pack. So he engineered a little trip to La Push. Logan was actually pretty good at riding, so he suggested they could do a day trip to La Push where she can practice off-roading. He also wanted Caleb (the Dad, Mr Triumph Bonneville) to join them so Billy could figure out how they could talk to him. Caleb accepted enthusiastically - he loved riding and was also sold on the idea of learning about the tribe - the Omaha blood came from his side and he was interested to learn about other tribes.

So, on Saturday, Caleb, Logan and Jacob set off. It was midday when they reached La Push and Jacob took them to Sam and Emily's for lunch. As ever, the whole pack was there so it was a happy and loud group. They all observed Logan with interest. She seemed to be at ease with everyone and happy to be there. Caleb was interrogating Billy with a million questions about the tribe, which Billy was more than happy to answer at length. Emily spent most of her time quietly observing Logan and noticed that she kept sneaking glances at Jacob as he was playing football with the rest of the pack.

She told Sam, Sam told Jacob. A huge grin spread across his handsome face. He felt his heart would burst with happiness. But this was immediately followed by a pang of guilt about Bella...

Logan and Jacob went to practice the off-roading while Caleb went for a burn around the peninsula. He said he would meet them in a couple of hours. Once again, Logan proved a real talent and very steady on the bike. Jacob kept upping the stakes, but Logan matched him well. Jacob almost entirely forgot about his situation and just enjoyed her company. Suddenly Logan lost control of the bike as it skidded up from below threatening to fall on top of her. Jacob jumped off his bike in flash and grabbed Logan as the bike crashed on the dirt.

"Are you OK? Logan, tell me are you OK?" Jacob asked with a panic in his voice. The indescribable fear and pain he felt seeing her in danger completely overwhelmed him.

"I'm fine" she gasped" but I will faint if you don't loosen your grip!" Jacob realised that he was holding her tight against his chest, so tight that she was squashed against his wide torso.

"Oh, I am sooo sorry, I just panicked!" He held her more gently and looked in her eyes. She smiled at him and before he knew what was happening they were kissing passionately. He was surprised at but so ecstatic so he didn't care.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing? Get off my daughter, you bastard!" Caleb attempted to pull Jacob off Logan with no avail. Jacob snapped out of his reverie and stood up suddenly.

"Sorry Caleb, I just....she fell off the bike, I caught her, I....it happened...." Jacob tried to apologise.

"Leave us alone DAD! I kissed HIM if you must know! I like Jake! I can do whatever I want! " Logan screamed at Caleb.

"You're a minor! He's 21! Pick someone your own age!!!!" Caleb shouted back.

"OK, we're leaving!!! Get your bike, we're riding back! NOW!! And you, you bastard! I'll report your garage for molesting minors!!! This is not the last of it! Logan, I said GET YOUR BIKE!!!" Caleb shouted. He glared furiously at Jacob. Jacob took a deep breath and calmly spoke to Caleb:

"I am very sorry for what happened, I should have stopped it. But there is more to it Caleb, and I would appreciate if you would give me a chance to explain." Jacob paused looking up at Caleb. Caleb was barely listening. Jacob continued.

"Besides, the bike is damaged. Logan fell off and it crashed. Nothing major I can fix it in Billy's garage. Let's go there on the bikes - Logan will go with you off course....." he said quickly as Caleb raised an eyebrow at his suggestion." I'll take you there and fix the bike there. Billy and Rachel can keep you company. It should only take an hour."

Caleb conceded defeat and they all went to Billy's. Billy guessed that something happened between Logan and Jacob but calmly invited Logan and Caleb into his house while Jacob fixed the bike. Caleb was soon entranced in the Quileute stories and Logan talked with Rachel.

As Jacob came in dirty with engine grease, he overheard the story of the wolf spirit and the tribe. By the time he cleaned up Billy was talking about the legends of "one true soul mate" as they call it "imprinting".

Jacob sat down and looked at his father. Billy nodded gently and Jacob blurted out:

"I love Logan. I've imprinted on her. She's my life." It came out like a bullet.

Caleb stared at him in disbelief. Logan wasn't paying attention, she was entranced with stories about Rachel and her soul mate Paul...she became aware of the situation and looked up at her dad and then Jacob. Jacob blushed and spoke again more confidently.

"I love Logan. I've imprinted on her. The moment we met 2 weeks ago. This is instinctive; I can't do anything about it. Logan is my destiny - from now on I only live to love and protect her. That's all that matters. I know it all sounds a bit intense and crazy, but believe me it's true. Caleb, I'm sure you've heard similar legends from your grandma about this type of thing? No? Well, it runs in the Quileute tribe." Jacob was more relaxed now and even managed a signature smile." I know Logan is really young, and I don't expect much now, but she is my life and I'll wait for her. She is the only woman for me from now on." He finished and looked at Caleb anxiously.

Logan looked stunned but beaming. Jake, my hunky riding instructor is into me?! OMG! This was amazing news. Logan had been daydreaming about kissing him since day one and working out every detail with her friends. Jacob is the cutest guy, with the BEST body she's ever seen, let alone come close to. And he loves ME? She felt like Cinderella. Her very own knight in shining armour. Or more like hunk in leathers on a cool bike! Whatever! That was great news!!!!

Caleb looked less certain about the brilliance of this situation. It was his little girl, his princess, they were talking about. She was only 16 for crissakes! His blue eyed angel....

Jacob was right. Caleb had heard legends about soul mates, spirits, your one true love, yadda, yadda, yadda. Caleb didn't usually pay attention to this type of thing. He wasn't exactly following any of his native roots. He was an investment banker in Seattle earning a six figure salary, with a passion for vintage bikes and expensive wines living in a huge house....Caleb stood up, stared at everyone in turn. Jacob looked genuinely worried, Logan looked annoyingly ecstatic, while Rachel and Billy looked at him with anticipation.

Caleb exhaled slowly: "...'. I need to think about this. I am not saying it's good or bad, but I need time to think about how I feel. Jacob, I think it's best if Todd finishes Logan's lessons and her bike test. Logan, let's go."

Logan protested. "DAD! Don't I get a say? OK, I admit, it's a bit much to realise you have a soul mate at 16, but I really like Jake! I feel this connection! I really do. And it's getting stronger every day. I want to see him Daddy. I promise we won't do anything stupid."

"NO" Jacob blurted a little to quickly "No, of course not...Ahem, I mean, I wouldn't.... until later, that is....I..." Again he had to exhale and concentrate. "Besides it's not that simple. I also have things I need to resolve. I,...I have a girlfriend, Bella. She is away at the moment and I need to talk to her first." Logan looked shocked and her newly found hunk in shining armour was fast turning into a villain. Caleb glared at Jacob. Jacob continued.

"Bella knows about imprinting. We always knew this could happen. But, we've been together for a long time and I need to be gentle about this. She deserves to have some time to deal with this. "

Caleb looked at Jacob again. He understood that things are never that simple and that someone always gets hurt.

"OK Jacob, as I said, I need time to consider this, Logan needs to calm down and you need to resolve things with your girlfriend - so we all need a bit of a break." He looked at his daughter who was 3 seconds away from tears." Logan...honey, that's life. You'll need to be patient. Hell, 2 weeks ago your biggest worry was which shoes go with what outfit... and now you have the undying love of a young man. Not that bad in the grand scheme of things." She looked up with tears glistening in her eyes. Then she turned, hugged Jacob firmly and ran out of the house.

"Stay in touch Jake, you have her number; but don't you call her before you've sorted things out. I don't want my little girl to suffer." Caleb looked at him like he meant business, said goodbye to Billy and Rachel and followed Logan.

Jacob was left standing in the middle of the room feeling a mixture of joy and dread. He no longer had to worry about Logan, but there was no escaping that Bella was coming back on Monday and he would break her heart.


	6. How Do You Carefuly Break a Heart

**How do you carefully break a heart?**

Jacob was sitting in the Arrivals lounge of SeaTac airport waiting for Bella to get through customs. Her flight from London Heathrow landed 20 minutes ago. He was getting increasingly nervous - how would he feel when he saw her? Will she know instantly? How will she react? Will she be OK? Pictures of her hollow eyes came flashing into his head.

Bella came out pushing the trolley and smiled widely at Jacob. She ran towards him and hugged him as tight as she could. Jacob squeezed her back and they kissed.

Bella kissed him with passion and longing of someone who had not seen their loved one in a long time. He tried to mimic this, but the passion was gone. His heart belonged elsewhere. He now felt a strong brotherly love for Bella and not the passion he burnt with for Logan. He had to tell her immediately.

Bella threw herself at Jacob and gave him a huge hug - as huge as she could give; he was really tall and wide. She pulled him and kissed him - she longed for this for at least 2 months. He kissed her back, but there was something wrong. She didn't know what, but something was DEFINITELY off. She pulled away and they smiled at each other.

"Oh sweetie! I missed that smile!" she said as the signature Jake smile was spread across his face. "I really, really missed you. Just about survived! You?" She tried to joke while there was a creeping sensation of something not quite right spreading down her back.

"Barely...I missed you too - I was crossing off the days until you would come back to me" he tried a smile, but didn't quite succeed. "It was just work and patrolling you know?" He started rattling on trying to sound normal "Billy and Charlie with their fishing and baseball, Rachel with the yoga and Paul; Sam with the family...." He threw her a glance and Bella looked at him quite seriously.

"Jake....is there something wrong? You seem nervous and you are babbling. Look, if there is something important you need to tell me you better do it know; you know I am not good at waiting around." Bella tried to stay calm but the feeling of dread had grabbed her chest. She continued with a slightly higher pitch.

"Did someone get hurt? The pack? Is it Billy? No? ... " she was searching Jacob's expression. "Oh my GOD! It's Charlie, isn't it? Oh my god what happened to HIM?" Bella had to take a deep breath and she needed to sit down. The feeling of panic exploded in her chest. She lowered her head and tried to calm herself down.

"I imprinted on someone else" whispered Jacob. Bella took no notice at first and kept trying to bring her breathing back to normal. Then the words penetrated her consciousness. What did he say?

"Come again?" Bella asked.

"I imprinted." Jacob said more loudly this time. Bella gasped again and closed her eyes and exhaled very deeply.

"Did you just say you imprinted?" She asked very calmly and Jacob nodded.

She didn't say anything, didn't do anything. Just sat there. She wasn't sure how long. She felt the nothingness, the numbness, start to creep over her. Edward. Jacob. Edward… Jake. The names whirled in her head until they became one. The two men she had given her heart to. Both had broken it.

Finally, she exhaled deeply and looked ahead. They always knew that was a possibility. But then again their love was so pure and strong that both of them thought it actually happened to them already. Bells&Jake 4ever.....or not...

A single tear dropped from Bella's right eye and then another, and another. Before she knew it, she was crying. Not loudly or violently. Just tears streaming down her face. She was incredibly sad. But, she's met Sam and Emily. And Leah. The love of Sam's life. Before he imprinted on Emily. The overwhelming happiness that Sam and Emily had. And the gut wrenching pain that Leah suffered. And now she could feel the same pain.

Jacob sat next to Bella, staring at her face. She was crying. She didn't say anything. He hugged her and held her as close as he could. She was locked in his embrace limply. She just sat there, tears streaming down her face. Her chestnut brown eyes emptied of emotion and the hollowness started creeping in. He fought against it for months, all those years ago and now he brought it back in one easy move. He did it. He broke her heart...

*******

Jacob looked at Bella's lovely eyes in horror. The hollowness was there again. But then something else happened. Bella suddenly stood up, pulled herself away from Jacob and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I am not doing this again DAMN IT! I am stronger that that!" She almost shouted. "I will not lose myself again like some damsel in distress. This time I am taking care of myself."

Jacob was stunned by her reaction. He'd never seen Bella like this. Sure, he talked the talk about her being strong and independent - but as long as he was there to protect her from the world!

This was different. The hollowness disappeared and it was replaced by a look of determination. She grabbed hold of the trolley and pushed it towards the car park. "Coming?" she asked Jacob and walked on.

Jacob ran after her in a shock. "Bella are you OK?"

"No, Jake, I am pretty damn far from OK! I want to scream! And it feels like my heart has been ripped out. Again! Pretty amazing to have that happen to you before you turn 25!!!!!!! Someone, I don't know who, but someone has it in for me. Someone clearly doesn't want me to be happy!" She shouted out angrily.

"But I am no longer a little frail girl. I will take care of this myself." And she sounded like she meant it. Jacob looked at Bella walking purposefully ahead of him. She continued ranting.

"I mean, how can this happen to me TWICE! Edward Cullen... now YOU!" Jacob flinched. He had spent so many years hating Edward Cullen, being compared with him by Bella of all people really hurt. They got into the car and he started driving. Bella sat in silence.

"You can't imagine how much I hate myself for this Bells! I promised to take care of you, to make sure no-one ever hurts you again after that bloodsucker left you..." he couldn't help himself after all these years. He just couldn't say Edward's name. Bella glared at him and he continued quickly: "But now, I am even worse! Your protector turning into the villain. I just want to make it right! I want to make you happy!" Bella flinched at his last words. He took a deep breath and continued softly: "Bella, you know that imprinting is not intentional... I still love you, it's just that I love Logan more...." He finished quietly, almost whispering the last part.

"Logan...." Bella repeated the name. That was a final blow...she ran out of steam and just sat in silence looking at traffic. Tears were welling up again and she spoke quietly. "I don't know Jake, I'm gonna have to play this one by ear....."

***

Bella stared at the traffic as Jake was driving to their apartment.

_How dare she!?!?! Did this Logan know the pain she was causing me?_

_It's not her fault Bella._

_But, she took my Jacob!!!_

_She didn't mean to. He fell for her._

_Then it's HIS fault. After everything with Edward… HYPOCRITE!!!_

_He couldn't help imprinting. Don't be too hard on him; he repaired your heart when it was broken._

_Yeah, but only to break it again......_

_Calm down, you need to think Bella._

So, she did. The car pulled in at their apartment.

****

"Jake, I think I'll go to Charlie's for a few days..... I need some space and I need to figure out what I'll do. I might even go stay with Renee and Phil." Bella said and walked into the bedroom without looking back at him and closed the door.

Jacob got the hint. She didn't want him around and he felt a sudden urge to get out of there. He turned around and left the house.

He walked aimlessly around Seattle, not really paying attention where he was going. He was trying to figure out Bella's reaction. The tears he expected, the hollowness he dreaded, but the fighting-talk not at all. Still, she had sadness in her eyes that burned him. And the fact he created this pain was worse. He promised himself he would NEVER EVER hurt her and he did. If only there was a way to make it right for Bella. To take away the pain....He looked around him and realised he was standing in front of Logan's house. That caught him by surprise but just knowing she was near made him inexplicably happy. All thoughts of Bella were gone in an instant....

He never realised that not being with Logan would cause him physical pain but it did. He hadn't seen her for 10 days and was very tempted to leap to her room that second to see her....._No, you promised!_

However, Caleb never said anything about text messages...he took out his cell and typed

_Babe, I miss u so much! c u soon xxx J_

Logan responded immediately

_me 2 xLx._

****

When she heard the door close, Bella came out of the bedroom.

"_Well, that was a great show! Never knew I had a talent for acting...."_

She was a mess. The courage and decisiveness of the last hour dissolved into thin air. She wanted to curl up, hide in a hole and not come out. Flashes of memory kept coming back to her from six years ago. Sam finding her in the woods. Charlie's permanently worried look. Jacob's patient smile....Jacob's patient smile...their kissess....STOP! STOP IT!!!!

Bella snapped out of it. She stood up and wiped the tears away (again!). She really could not afford to do this again. She WILL not fall apart like she did when Edward left her. She desperately needed not to be in the apartment, or even in Seattle.

She packed up a few things and called Charlie. He was ecstatic to hear she was coming over. Sue and Leah were visiting and they could catch up.

Bella still had that same old rickety Red Chevy truck, Jake had fixed up for her years ago. She drove badly at the best of times and today her distress made things worse. The driving wasn't helped by the fact everything she touched had Jacob's stamp on it. But, after a long hour, she finally made it in one piece to Charlie's.

As she pulled in she saw Sue and Leah walking into the house. Leah knew - it was obvious from the way she greeted Bella. For the first time ever, Leah looked at Bella with a soft, friendly smile of someone who really understands you. That caught her by surprise. Leah and Bella never really hit it off; Leah was a difficult person to like. Very prickly. But at this moment, for the first time, Bella could understand Leah and appreciate how she felt for so many years. She smiled back at Leah.

Sue and Charlie had no idea.

Charlie and Sue babbled away about their summer and Bella feigned enthusiasm talking about Scotland while all she wanted to do is to talk to Leah. Finally, Leah suggested they could wash up while Charlie and Sue relax. Leah waited for Bella to speak. Bella couldn't think of anything to say. She passed the wet plates to Leah to dry. They continued until the last glass was safely in the cupboard.

Finally Bella just asked one question. "Does it get better?"

Leah lowered her eyes and said "It would if I didn't have to look at them every day. But, it's not like I can leave..."

Bella knew what she would need to do.


	7. A New Start

**A new start**

"Wha'? Absolutely not! You crazy? Can't you get Chloe to get it for you?" Bella was rubbing the sleep from her eyes. _What IS the time?_ It was 8 am. She was shattered. She came back from the lab at 2am - she was doing a long experiment that finished around midnight. _Man, it's freezing! In freaking May! What the hell? Why didn't Mark or Anna switch on the heating system?_ Bella shivered and pulled on her unflattering bathrobe and pulled up the massive wool socks. Tom wasn't giving up.

"I don't care, Fowler! I know you finally got a shot with the exotic Zoya, but I am tired, it's my day off AND let's not forget that I physically CANNOT be around BLOOD! I start fainting just thinking about it. In fact I am already getting queasy". Bella stated dramatically, and to be perfectly honest she was feeling a bit nauseous but kept it together. She walked up to the heating cupboard and tried to get the ancient heating system going.

"Oh Izzy, pretty please? I'll owe you for a year! Com' on! You're my last resort!" he continued to plead. "If the blood is not picked up from the blood bank this morning, I won't be able to do the experiment tomorrow and most likely will not finish my PhD. Do you want that responsibility?" He went for drama. Bella chuckled. He continued unabated.

"Be a mate Izzy! How often do nerds like me get a chance with a goddess like Zoya? One geek to another - please, please, pluuuuueeease!" He finally stopped. Bella was now completely awake and finally managed to get the heating in her ancient "flat" switched on.

"OK, OK, I'LL DO IT! But seriously man, if I faint, you will be my lab slave for the rest of eternity!" She threatened.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Tom was delighted." And to show my appreciation I'm taking you out tomorrow night. Food and a gig? I'll see what's on".

Bella agreed and finally got him off the phone. Izzy - even after 6 months of her new alter ego she found it funny to hear anyone call her that. It was different. That was good.

Well, if she had to go to the blood bank, she may as well go to the lab as well. But, not yet. For now, 'Izzy' was VERY tired, but wide awake, with nothing to do, so decided to catch up on emails. Bella went into the kitchen - she was alone, her 'flatmates' already left for the day. She shared her apartment with Anna, the trainee solicitor (she was in law school) and her lovely boyfriend Mark, the cellist. Bella was happy here. At peace. London was peaceful.

She got a bowl of cereal going while her laptop woke up and she sat down. It was the usual. A monosyllabic email from Charlie, an overly long and detailed message from Renee, a lovely message from Angela and then - **BAM**!

An email from Jake. Bella felt winded. This was only the second message she received since moving to London 6 months ago and she was just as unprepared as for the first one. It was a very messy goodbye and she really needed to put Seattle and Jake behind her to move on. London was the right choice - huge, messy, dirty, interesting and with enough stuff going on to keep her busy for a lifetime.

She hovered with the mouse over the message and then after almost a minute she finally opened it.

_"Hey Bells!_" seeing the familiar name felt like a stab through the heart. "_I know you'll probably delete this, but.... You never responded to my previous email and I thought you may need more time. It has been 6 months since you left....I figured I could try again! Hope London is fun! Things are pretty much the same here. Billy...."_

The email went on. It was a little diary of the La Push daily life and even though it hurt to read it, she found the stories strangely comforting.

_Anywho.... You probably deleted the email before you got to this part, but just in case you didn't - I am here for you and I will always be your friend, whenever you are ready to talk to me again._

_love you Bells_

_Jake"_

She stared at the screen feeling emotional. Their last moments together passed through her mind and she let the memories flood back.

*****

_I was standing in front of the door of our apartment. I haven't seen Jake for three weeks and now I was planning to say goodbye. My suitcase was next to me. "I am strong, I can do this". I opened the door and walked in. Jake was sitting on the sofa looking edgy. He looked up at me anxiously. This was not going to be easy. _

_"Hey Jake" I was going for cheery, not sure it worked... _

_"Hey Bells...erm, did you have a nice time with Renee?" Aah, yes Renee had been very supportive of my plans, unlike Charlie, who was mostly shell-shocked but still insisted to buy my ticket. _

_"Yes, yeah....Listen...Jake, I'm leaving. Going to London" _

_Jacob looked stunned "Wha..?"_

_"For a year, to try it out. I've already transferred the programme. I'll just need about a month to sort out the visa....so basically you can keep this place, if you can afford it..." I stopped and looked at Jacob. Jacob jumped up in disbelief._

_"London? As in London several thousand miles away? Bells, do you have to go so far away? What if Victoria finds you? Just because she temporarily stopped hunting you, doesn't mean she's given up. She's got eternity to do it. How will I ever be able to keep an eye on you? I love you Bells, you're my best friend! My soul ma.." He stopped himself short of completing the last word. WHAT?????? How dare he?_

_"I'm not your soul mate Jake!!!! That's the problem! AND I don't need babysitting! Victoria!....Victoria?!? And what about the last 4 months in Scotland? She could have gotten me there! It's not like an ocean could keep her away? The pack has hardly seen any covens for 5 years! Why would Victoria come for me now? The Cullens left years ago! Even if she thought Edward loved me then, surely that notion is long gone! It's not like he's been back to visit! So what reason would she have to kill someone who Edward does not care for? How would that hurt him? How would that avenge James?" I finished breathlessly. It felt good, letting the anger surge through. I felt strong and powerful! I actually smiled and looked over at Jacob. He looked back anxiously. That was enough. The anger just disappeared. _

_"Listen Jake, I just need to start over. On my own. Away from the supernatural love affairs. I think getting my heart broken by a vampire and a werewolf is enough for anyone for a lifetime. I'll be in touch, just give me time. OK?" Jake's sweet, sweet face just stared back at me in disbelief and pain. He actually thought that I would stick around! My resolve was melting... It was time to leave. I just need not to be in the apartment or close to Jake. I got up, turned around and picked up the phone to call a cab. Jake just sat there realising that was it. I was leaving. _

"_It's not your fault, Jake, you didn't ask to imprint," I could feel the tears in my throat, "But I do need to get out of Seattle. I'm sad, annoyed and angry. At you, at Edward, at my bad luck" Jake kept his eyes down and just nodded. _

_Another 15 minutes of awkward silence before the cab arrived. I picked the suitcase up and was just about to walk out of the door when Jake said:_

"_Bella. Will you ever forgive me?" _

"_One day. I hope you're happy with Logan, Jake," I walked over to him and kissed him gently on the lips. That was the last kiss I would ever share with Jacob Black._

"_Love you Bella,"_

"_Love you more," I turned and left, closing the door silently. I promised myself I wouldn't cry, but the tears that I managed to keep in, betrayed me and slid down my cheeks as I climbed into the cab. The cab driver looked at me and then at Jake standing in the window and shook his head thinking he had seen it all before... He had no idea!_

*****

Bella opened her eyes and gasped. Tears were streaming down her face. Those same feelings came back - anger anguish and sadness. _Com'on Bella!!!!!_ She took a deep breath and looked up the clock.

12:47

Oh s***, it was past noon! She had to leave..... She looked outside - the weather was crap. Not raining, but then again not NOT raining. Drizzle! A particular kind of rain in London that just hung in the air...however it actually rained less than in Seattle. And the other upside was the total lack of supernatural creatures in her immediate vicinity. Just regular student life in the Big Smoke. She could get lost easily but equally she could surround herself with friends and party the night away. And killer gigs! _I wonder what Tom will come up with...._

****

Bella arrived at the blood bank and was actually sweating with anxiety.

"_Come on Bella, breathe in and out. Relax, it's just blood. Stop being a freaking wuss!!!!" _

She handed over the form at the reception and they asked her to wait. Bella Swan in a blood bank. HA! Hilarious. She looked around and saw a few queasy looking people sitting down holding their left arm. The smell of blood penetrated her nostrils and she started feeling nauseous. She had to sit down immediately and focus on her breathing. _'In, out, in out...'_

She was taking deep deliberate breaths and started to feel slightly better. _'Another one, keep going'_.

She still kept her head down and took a very deep breath. The sharp metallic smell of blood was gone. She was overcome with the sweetness of air, like blossom in the spring. The sweetness that once made her weak at the knees. The unmistakable sweetness of a vampire. She looked up frantically trying to locate the smell. The same queasy looking people were still holding their arms and sitting in the same seats. The only difference was a figure carrying a box walking out of the door and the scent followed him. Bella ran out after the guy but as soon as she got to the door, he was nowhere to be seen. "_Well if he IS a vampire, he is probably half way to Oxford by now......Oh, GOD, a vampire! A. VAMPIRE. IN. CENTRAL. LONDON."_

Her heart was racing, her mind was racing, she could barely contain her thoughts. A vampire in London? In a blood donation centre? A wave of panic came over her, but this was rapidly replaced with the longing that she hadn't felt in a long time.

"_What the hell is this?"_ For the first time in years Bella thought of Edward Cullen and how much she used to love him...

"Ms Swan? Your pack is ready." She was shaken out of her reverie by the voice. She grabbed the pack and walked out to the noisy streets of London looking out for the source of the scent even though she knew it would be long gone. _By now, he could actually be in Scotland...._


	8. Take me out

**Take me out...**

Friday 7.13pm; North London - Camden Tube station.

Tom Fowler was standing with his hands in his pockets and two tickets to the gig for the latest indie band that was wowing the critics. Izzy was late. As per usual.

She was still getting used to the time it took to get from A to B using the London Underground system. He finally saw her slight figure come out of the tube at 7.18. She smiled at him.

"Fowler." she greeted him formally. "Swan" he replied equally formally. "Sushi, followed by indie rock?"

"Oooh, yes please!" She smiled and they walked off. He was very happy to see his quiet American friend smile. Too often did she have a distant, worried look about her. There was some gossip in the lab about a bad break-up, but he never quite got to ask her about that.... He just felt very protective of her, like a little sister.

But, tonight he was her slave and he was determined they would have an excellent time. So, sushi! He gave her a big hug and they walked along Camden High Street in search of food. They soon found a little sushi bar and sat down.

"Izzy Swan! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You totally saved me yesterday. And I know it was gross for you." He shot her a huge grin.

"Don't mention it, Fowler." Bella replied curtly but smiled.

"No, really DO NOT mention it. I just about got rid of the queasiness!" she stated dramatically.

"I REALLY hope it was worth it....was it?" Tom beamed at her and that said it all. "Well, O.K! You better not blow it with Zoya 'cos there is no way that I will ever go to a blood bank again. Ever. Period. Are we clear on that?" Tom gave her a soldier salute." Anywho, let's go eat. What are you having?" She looked at the extensive menu and started making a list in her head "_edamame, some sashimi, a bit of tempura..."_

***********

Bella followed Tom out of the sushi bar and onto the street. As they were walking she was texting Anna and Mark.

"_Hey, going to Underworld.."_

Tom grabbed Izzy at least twice while she was texting. Honestly, that girl should not combine walking with any other activity!

After she stumbled for the third time Bella finally stopped to finish the message.

...."_Gig,... new band- The Firefly. U close? Wanna join? Can get tckts 4 u._

"You sure you don't mind them coming?" she looked up before sending the message, asking for the fifth time.

"Course not, don't be daft! They should get here soon though, this gig is really popular!" Bella lifted her finger and pointed at her phone. It was buzzing with a new message.

"Cool, they'll see us there in an hour".

Bella was getting really excited. They were going to Underworld, a well-known venue for indie gigs to see a new American sensation the Firefly. She had not seen a great new band for ages and according to Tom these guys were really good. _Yay!_

This whole evening was a great antidote to the shock of yesterday. By now she wasn't even sure she did smell a vampire - she probably just made it up in her crazy little mind. "_I'm obviously starved of the supernatural! So I have to make it up!_" It did occur to her however that he last time she was around blood and needles was in her biology class when Edward rushed her to the nurse...."_Whatever Bella, just pull yourself together and enjoy tonight!!!_"

****************

Tom wasn't kidding. Underworld was packed and it was still an hour before the gig. Loud music was blasting from the speakers, and it was difficult to talk. But they found a great spot right next to the stage and Tom was determined not to move. After many text messages, Anna and Mark, finally made it to where Bella and Tom were standing and with their position secured, the boys promptly went to get drinks. Bella and Anna gave up on conversation and just danced - the music was great and Bella hadn't felt this good and relaxed in a long time. Unbelievably enough, over the next hour, the club got even busier and then the opening act finally started. And they actually didn't suck. The crowd was getting excited and then at long last the MC walked up to the microphone to announce the main act.

"Thank you for bearing with us guys, we promise you won't be disappointed! Without further ado, I give you the Firefly!"

A familiar guitar riff started. Drums. And the full blast of the song. The crowd went wild.

'She sells sanctuary' by The Cult. Bella instantly recognised the song and started jumping. Tom was already going wild and even the usually quiet Mark was joining in.

"_I LOVE THIS SONG!"_ was the last thought Bella had before the vocals burst out:

'_Oh the heads that turn, Make my back burn_

_And those heads that turn, Make my back, Make my back burn_'

The stage was enveloped in darkness, except for yellow and blue spots of light glistening like fireflies and only the silhouettes of four guys could be seen. The lead singer with the guitar, the bass player, the drummer and the keyboard in the back. The lead singer was in throes of the song. "_WOW! They sound really good! What a voice!_" Bella thought and kept dancing.

_'The sparkle in your eyes, Keeps me alive_

_And the sparkle in your eyes, Keeps me alive, Keeps me alive_

_And the world and the world, The world turns around_

_And the world and, the world, the world, the world drags me down_

_Oh the heads that turn, Make my back burn_

_And those heads that turn, Make my back, Make my back burn_

_The fire in your eyes keeps me alive_

_And the fire in your eyes, keeps me alive, keeps me alive_

_I'm sure in her you'll find - The sanctuary_

_I'm sure in her you'll find - The sanctuary...._

_And the world, the world, the world, the world drags me down....._

_**Sanctuary.....................**_**'**

The song finished with a bang and an explosion of brilliant light. The crowd was screaming. The next song burst out loud:

_'I've got another confession to make ,I'm your fool_

_Everyone's got their chains to break, Holdin' you_

_Were you born to resist or be abused?_

_Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Are you gone and onto someone new?_

_I needed somewhere to hang my head, Without your noose_

_You gave me something that I didn't have, But had no use_

_I was too weak to give in, Too strong to lose_

_My heart is under arrest again, But I break loose_

_My head is giving me life or death, But I can't choose_

_I swear I'll never give in, I refuse_

_Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Has someone taken your faith?_

_Its real, the pain you feel_

_You trust, you must_

_Confess_

_Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Has someone taken your faith?_

_Its real, the pain you feel_

_The life, the love you'd die to heal_

_The hope that starts the broken hearts_

_You trust, you must_

_Confess_

_Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

_I've got another confession my friend, I'm no fool_

_I'm getting tired of starting again, Somewhere new_

_Were you born to resist or be abused?_

_I swear I'll never give in, I refuse_

_Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Has someone taken your faith?_

_Its real, the pain you feel_

_You trust, you must_

_Confess_

_**Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?'**_

The song finished with a blast.

"Good evening Camden! How you are tonight?" The crowd went wild. The singer turned to the band, and then back to the crowd.

"Thank you!!!!!!!! We're the **Firefly**! This next song is called Spellbound"

_'Those eyes they transmit all your loving_

_Echoes light into dark hearts_

_I would swear I've seen this left beside me, your eyes they hypnotize_

_She keeps me here so spellbound_

_Her love pulls me near to stranger ground_

_I've lost my mind there_

_This dark magic mirror_

_Spellbound..........._

_A heart-shaped face, with words as cold as stone_

_I can't believe this is my fate_

_She raised your head, now the night, it's coming down_

_I accept this fate, I accept my love you won't be long_

_You keep me here so spellbound......_

_Love pulls me near to sacred ground,_

_I lost my mind there_

_This dark magic mirror, spellbound_

_and I can't leave now, leave her now....._

_She keeps me near so spellbound_

_Her love pulls me near to stranger ground_

_I lost my mind there_

_This dark magic mirror, spellbound...._

_So spellbound.........'_

It was a beautiful song. The lead singer's voice was beautifully clear and strong. Bella found herself mesmerised by the lyrics. For the second time in two days she thought of Edward.

Tom looked over at Izzy and found his lovely friend lost in thought.

"Hey Izzy, what'd ya think? They're good, no?" he grinned keenly at her. Izzy looked over and smiled absentmindedly. She was a million miles away.

"Yeah...erm, yes, they are amazing, that guy's voice! Wow! It's so......" She stopped mid sentence and looked up to the stage - they were reshuffling the set with the piano being moved forward. A tall guy with messy hazel hair sat down not looking at the audience once.

"This is Goodbye my lover" a beautiful velvety voice spoke into the microphone and started singing:

_'Did I disappoint you or let you down?_

_Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?_

_'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,_

_Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won._

_So I took what's mine by eternal right._

_Took your soul out into the night...._'

Once again Bella was struck by the lyrics, as if he was singing to her. Once again an image of Edward. The voice was painfully beautiful and wrapped around her like honey...

_'It may be over but it won't stop there,_

_I am here for you if you'd only care._

_You touched my heart you touched my soul._

_You changed my life and all my goals._

_And love is blind and that I knew when,_

_My heart was blinded by you._

_I've kissed your lips and held your hand._

_Shared your dreams and shared your bed._

_I know you well, I know your smell._

_I've been addicted to you._

_Goodbye my lover._

_Goodbye my friend._

_You have been the one._

_You have been the one for me..........._'

The keyboard went silent as the guitar took over, then the bass and then the drums. The pianist stood up and for the first time during the gig looked across the audience and then turned directly to Bella and stared at her with his topaz eyes.

******

**Songs in this chapter are **

**She sells sanctuary - The Cult**

**The best of you - Foo fighters**

**Spellbound - Doves**

**Goodbye my lover - James Blunt  
**


	9. Love lost, love found

**Love lost, love found**

_'It's noisy tonight. Not surprising. London. Millions of minds at once._'

"It's sold out. Totally packed...." John said.

"Yes, I can hear" I said pointing at my head. John nodded. He was nervous.

"Everyone seems excited about this gig; you have nothing to worry about. I know London means a lot to you". John smiled at me anxiously. He still gets nervous. _'I envy that..._'

"There are guys from NME and Rolling Stone here. Both like our stuff." That helped. John grinned widely.

"It's Showtime!" Vince entered the room with his drumsticks. Charlie was hovering at the door with his bass. We started walking out towards the stage. Vince, Charlie followed by John. As always I was walking behind them playing my usual game. My indulgence...I might be surprised... or at least entertained...From the noise of hundreds of minds, let's pick a few and see what they think...OK. Deep breath. The usual - pheromones, excitement and alcohol.....oh wait...a faintly familiar smell...can't make it out...to many bodies....

"Jerk! Why doesn't he make a move? I am so done waiting!" very pretty and REALLY angry girl in the green dress in the back.

"How do you describe their sound? The Killers meets Pink Floyd meets Starsailor?" long haired, middle aged NME reporter closer to the stage.

"She seems happy! I really hope Izzy has a good time tonight" a loving thought from the tall skinny guy at the front. Oh sweet! Obviously very keen on the girl next to him. No, not the tall blonde...someone behind him...let's see if she's keen on him?....no, not getting anything...let's try harder. Another deep breath....AH! _I was drowned by the burning desire that I had abandoned so many years ago............The venom just burst in my mouth and my heart felt as if it was going to be ripped out of my chest._

"Vince - WAIT!" All three stopped and turned. The MC looked annoyed. I took that short moment to compose myself.

"Change of programme". They all looked baffled, but given my ability they rarely questioned my instincts. They looked at me expectantly.

"Start with Sanctuary and Best of Me, and then let's play it by ear. Erm...and, John, I want to sing tonight". They all looked at me in surprise.

"NOT the whole thing, just one song. I'll let you know when."

"OK man...if you think that's best..." John said and continued in his head _'You better tell me what's going on later!'_ Vince and Charlie just nodded.

The MC stuck his head through the door impatiently. We nodded.

"Thank you for bearing with us guys, we promise you won't be disappointed! Without further ado, I give you the Firefly!"

Here we go - She sells sanctuary.

After the first few guitar riffs, the crowd recognised the song and they went wild. I looked over to the Tall Skinny Guy and I could finally see her. Bella. My beautiful, lovely Bella. She was jumping around dancing with the Tall Blonde. Looked happy and relaxed. Every so often she looked over to the stage. Didn't seem to see me.

Next - Best of you....

She continued dancing. The Tall Skinny Guy was really happy about this. Not entirely sure I like all this love and concern he's feeling for her.....What do I call him? Ah, Tom Fowler. Thank you Blondie!

John finished and looked back at me. I shook my head. He turned and shouted:

"Good evening Camden! How you are tonight?" The crowd went wild....

"Thank you!!!!!!!! We're the Firefly! This next song is called Spellbound"

I still stared at Bella willing I could read her mind. She focused on the lyrics and stopped moving. A shadow of melancholy passed over her face. She seemed to absorb the lyrics. Mr Fowler noticed this and was getting worried about her thinking loudly "Oh man, is she OK?"

OK, now's my time! John turned to me again and this time I nodded. Tom was speaking to Bella.

John finished the song. I moved the keyboard to the front. John squeezed my arm and stood in the back with his guitar.

"This is Goodbye my lover". _Will she recognise my voice after all this time? I never did get to sing to her..._

_'Did I disappoint you or let you down?_

_Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?_

_'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,_

_Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won._

_So I took what's mine by eternal right._

_Took your soul out into the night_.'

I glanced imperceptibly towards Bella and there was a shadow of recognition on her face. She looked entranced by the lyrics. I continued:

_'It may be over but it won't stop there,_

_I am here for you if you'd only care.'_

I was overwhelmed by the desire to kiss her again and to touch her. I wanted her to see me. She kept staring in front of her focusing on the words. I continued:

_'You touched my heart you touched my soul._

_You changed my life and all my goals._

_And love is blind and that I knew when,_

_My heart was blinded by you._

_I've kissed your lips and held your hand._

_Shared your dreams and shared your bed._

_I know you well, I know your smell._

_I've been addicted to you._'

This is it! I'm getting up. Bella stood in one spot not moving and kept staring at the piano. I was still covered by the darkness.

_'Goodbye my lover._

_Goodbye my friend._

_You have been the one._

_You have been the one for me...........'_

I got up. John saw me and started the guitar. I turned to the audience and then finally looked at Bella's lovely chestnut eyes. She looked up at me in shock. I kept singing:

_'I am a dreamer and when I wake,_

_You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take._

_And as you move on, remember me,_

_Remember us and, all we used to be_

_I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile._

_I've watched you sleeping for a while._

_I'd be the father of your child._

_I'd spend a lifetime with you._

_I know your fears and you know mine._

_We've had our doubts but now we're fine,_

_And I love you, I swear that's true._

_I cannot live without you.'_

I reached out my hand to Bella to pull her up on stage. She stood there, looking at it....

_'Goodbye my lover._

_Goodbye my friend.'_

...finally she held my arm. A wave of electricity went through my skin. The memory of her touch surged through me. I pulled her feather light figure to the stage....whooping form the crowd...Tom in disbelief, the other two also in shock...

John walked past me and gave me a "What the hell" look...I kept singing...

'_You have been the one._

_You have been the one for me.'_

_And I still hold your hand in mine._

_In mine when I'm asleep._

_And I will bare my soul in time,_

_When I'm kneeling at your feet._

_Goodbye my lover._

_Goodbye my friend._

_You have been the one._

_You have been the one for me._

_I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow._

_I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow.'_

*****************

Bella stared at the glorious face of Edward Cullen in disbelief and completely paralysed. He was singing to her. Not at her. To her. She was right. This was a song for her.

_"Wha'...how...wha' WHAT the HELL????...who, why...Edward? In London?' _Her head was buzzing_. 'What is he doing... he wants me on stage?....'_

Bella finally offered her hand and touched the cold, marble skin and she gasped. The familiar electricity of Edward's cold skin went through her. His rich, topaz eyes smiled at her and he never glanced away from her. The crowd whooped. The lead singer brushed pass them. Edward just kept singing...

"_Wow, this guy must have suffered a big heartbreak_" thought Tom as the guy was singing. Then he suddenly he stood up and walked straight to Izzy. He was signing to her.

'_Oh MAN, that is CHEESY! Sing to the cute girl in front row.._'. Tom looked over to Izzy with a snigger, but she was totally entranced by the Annoyingly-good-looking guy singing to her.

_'Wait, does she KNOW him? NO!?!?!....Is THIS Mr Bad Break up?'_. Just as he was thinking this, the guy pulled Izzy on stage and continued to sing. _'What the H...? That girl owes me a MASSIVE explanation!!!'_

The song finally finished. The crowd whooped.

"Edward Mason, ladies and gentlemen! A rare opportunity to hear the man behind the Firefly lyrics!" John shouted to the crowd and then in his head shouted at Edward. _'Edward! COM' ON MAN. TAKE A BOW!_'. Edward finally turned to the crowd and bowed. The petite girl he dragged to the stage looked a bit star struck. John looked towards him and thought _'Not really fair play Edward! You know how girls feel about you! _' and then he started the next song.

******

Edward Mason i.e. Mr Annoyingly-good-looking and clearly amazingly talented, lifted Izzy as if she was a feather and put her back down next to Tom. He was still completely focused on her.

"Bella, can we talk? Please? Will you come to the after party? Bring your friends! Just stay after the show. I'll come and get you"

He flashed a glorious smile at all of them. Izzy just nodded. In a flash he was back on stage and sitting at the piano again.

"Erm...hey Izzy, you OK?" Tom asked. Izzy looked a little shell-shocked. She just about managed a smile. "And WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT? How the HELL do you know Edward Mason? And why did he call you Bella?"


	10. Forget about forgiving and just accept

**Forget about forgiving and just accept**

"Erm, Tom, Anna, Mark, this is Edward. Cu... Mason.. We went to school together, back in Washington. We..erm did biology together! He moved away in senior year.... We haven't seen each other for what...six, no wait, almost seven years....He moved..." Izzy started repeating herself. Edward Mason stood patiently and beamed at all of them with a glorious smile. Anna blushed and was clearly swooning and both Mark and Tom tried not to feel inadequate.

"Hi, Tom....Anna....Mark...it's so lovely to meet you. Yeah, it's so great to see Be.. Izzy after such a long time. And in London of all places! " Wow, what a voice. Tom was a bit dazzled himself. _'Friend, yeah right!'_

"Would you like to join us for the after party? It's at the Groucho Club in Soho." Edward asked eagerly. A private club that was very popular with the rich and famous. And certainly not easily accessible to poor PhD students and their friends. _'Would we? Of course!" _Tom thought excitedly, but tried to respond with a little less enthusiasm.

"Erm, yeah, that would be cool if Izzy's up for it?" Tom looked at her.

"Yeah, well only if we're not imposing, you know...erm, I'm sure you'll be busy...erm, but yeah, that would be great..." Izzy stuttered her way through the sentence. '_Oh, totally more than friends!'_ Tom thought again. They were clearly all in. Edward beamed at them and was already arranging transport.

"Do you guys mind going with the band? I've only got room for one in my car, and it would be great to catch up with Be...Izzy on the way...?" He didn't so much ask as stated. Once again, Tom looked over at Izzy, she seemed OK with that so it was settled. Before they all knew what was happening, Edward introduced them to John, Vince and Charlie and they were whisked away into the band's van and to the Groucho Club in the heart of London. Izzy disappeared with Edward Mason.

*************

The car stopped. They didn't get very far from Camden. Edward parked just off Marylebone Road and turned off the engine. He was looking at her intently.

Bella was intrigued by this new situation she found herself in. After comfortable months in supernatural-free London and fairly boring student existence, she was now

(a) Sitting in a ridiculously flash and clearly very fast car (even for a vampire!)

(b) Faced by the man who crushed her heart, but instead of feeling angry...

(c) ...Feeling smug about the fact that Edward clearly desired her. Or at least her blood as his topaz eyes had gone dark with hunger ('_Personal brand of heroin...I guess the addiction doesn't go away that easily')_

(d) Slightly freaked out by the fact Edward had not changed one single bit. Not a single hair on his head.... and

(e) Clearly still very attracted to him....

But she wasn't going to allow herself to be seduced without a fight and A LOT of explanations from him.

She wasn't sure how long they kept staring at each other and then he finally spoke.

"What are you thinking?" He asked her eagerly.

Bella started laughing uncontrollably. Edward looked utterly confused. She finally managed to stop laughing enough to respond.

"OK, fair enough..., I'll tell you what's on my mind....." she paused to inhale very briefly and words burst out of her.

"Why are you using your old name? Where are the rest of the Cullens? Are they OK? Is Alice OK?....How did you end up in a band? You're famous? How does that work with being a vampire? I thought you had to lay low? How do you feed on tour? Was that you at the blood bank yesterday?...." Bella looked down and stopped for a moment only to continue even more quickly.

"Did you know I was in London? Did you ever come back to Forks? Do you know anything that happened to me over the last 6 years? About Jake?" Edward's face flinched at the mention of Jacob's name. She continued.

"Are all of those lyrics about me? About US? Then why the HELL did you leave me in the first place? YOU better start giving ME some answers Edward Cullen!.....There! That's what I'm thinking. How's that sound?"

She finished breathlessly. '_OK, I guess, I am a LITTLE bit angry...'_

Edward stared at her and took it all in. He continued staring at her and then instead of saying anything, he kissed her.

With fierce passion.

No inhibitions.

No control.

Bella was stunned by this, but her body responded immediately breaking all of the barriers she built against Edward over the years. And she was no longer a little confused girl of years ago and this time she knew what to do. She pulled of his shirt and he pulled of hers and they were on route to where Edward's caution never let them get to before....

_'Whoa! WHOA! WAIT Bella!'_ Bella pulled herself together and stopped. She pushed Edward away from her. His eyes were almost black with desire and he was breathing heavily.

"Ooooo. Kkkay. Not what I thought would happen here." Bella looked at her feet and composed herself. "Edward, I can't do this. Not like this. We need to talk. I need to know so many things! And you need to learn about me, about who I am now" She spoke softly.

Edward composed himself. He touched her face with the back of his hand, like he used to tracing it along her cheeks.

"I know. I promise, I'll tell you everything. Anything you want to know..." he smiled at her tenderly. "But, erm...you can't even begin to imagine how happy I am to have found you again. Safe, sound and grown up! Amazing! It's all I ever wanted for you..."

He looked at the car clock and started the car. "This will have to wait though, I need to at least make an appearance at this party..." Bella looked at the clock. It was past midnight.

****************

Tom Fowler was in a state of mild hysteria while standing with a glass of champagne in the Groucho Club talking with John and Vince from the band. They were discussing something or other, he wasn't really sure as he was trying not to grin like a complete idiot. He tried to look like he belonged there, scanning the room and vaguely recognising several models, presenters and musicians. Then he spotted Izzy walking towards him smiling and holding Edward Mason's hand.

'_HA! I knew it!!!'_ Tom thought and smiled a little wickedly at Izzy. She pulled a face. Edward smiled at Tom, gently dropped Izzy's hand and instead placed it gently on Izzy's shoulder as they walked towards them. Every girl in the room looked annoyed at this while Izzy looked awkward being caught up in the centre of attention. She quickly walked over to Tom and gave him an awkward smile. Edward was dragged away by John and the rest of the band, but not before he gave Tom, Anna and Izzy a quick wave and glorious smile.

"Hey Fowler, having fun?" Izzy asked.

"Yup, great time. Blending in easily with the IT crowd...You too by the looks of things...." he said, giving her a significant look. She pinched his arm and hissed at him.

"Oh shut up Fowler! It's not what you think..." Tom sniggered and looked over at Anna, who was clearly in agreement with him.

"Izzy! You. Dark. Horse. You are SO going to tell me everything tonight....Or tomorrow morning as the case may be... " Anna winked at Tom and Izzy just blushed and started actively ignoring them.

_'Is it that obvious?_' Bella thought getting increasingly annoyed with her friends and more so as she could see on Edward's face that he was up to his old tricks of listening into her conversations through other people's minds....He glanced over and smiled at her and then just as quickly continued his interview. She glanced around the room and felt completely out of place.

"Hey Izzy! Let's dance!" Anna called her and dragged her to the other room. '_Good idea!' _Bella thought and they were off. The music was incredibly cool and very new and Bella really enjoyed it. After the first two songs, Bella started feeling normal again all but forgetting the excitements of the evening. She closed her eyes and just danced.

She felt the icy touch of Edward's hand on her arm and a surge of excitement went through her. He was standing next to her with John. John smiled gently to Bella and for the first time she actually looked at him. His ebony skin glowed in the dim light. He was beautiful. She smiled back and let them join. The music was too loud for talking. So they just continued to dance.

The crowd was getting bigger and their circle was getting smaller and more intimate. Edward stood behind Bella and his body was pressed to her back. They danced closely together and his sweet scent penetrated her nostrils and she felt happy. Relaxed and complete. A couple of times, Edward stroked her neck and his touch burned her skin just as it did all those years ago.

***********

It was 3 am and the club was closing. It was home time, but everyone was still up for more. And Bella just wanted to talk to Edward. And sleep. This turned out to be one emotionally confusing evening and she needed some answers.

Luckily, the guys from the band wanted to continue on, so once again Bella and Edward were left alone, while Tom and Anna went on to another party, though not before shooting several mischievous, meaningful glances in Bella's direction.

'Keep your head Izzy!' they both shouted laughing and giggling.

************

_"_So, here we are! Again..." Bella said awkwardly. "Now what?"

They were sitting in Edward's car in front of Bella's apartment. She was nervous, anxious, happy, hopeful and annoyed all at once.

"Well, you could invite me up, we can talk, you could sleep....We...could kiss?" Edward responded mischievously and touched her face.

'_Ha! Funny, I guess he has changed a bit...I don't remember his naughty side.,..' _Bella thought.

"I'm not entirely sure I am prepared to let you back into my life like that. Or for you to spy on my while I sleep just like nothing ever happened...." Bella said sternly. Edward clearly took it really seriously and she could see that he was going to give up on the idea as the gentleman she knew he was. And she didn't want him to.

"Of course Bella, I would never do anything...." Edward started responding and she kissed him gently to shut him up.

"You know what! Whatever! Let's just forgive and forget. I want you to come up and we'll just take it easy. Let's go! I must warn you, my apartment is ancient, small and very messy!"

*****

_She looks so peaceful. _

Edward was lying next to Bella who was holding on to him tightly and breathing steadily.

_Her beautiful brown hair covering her sweet face. _

_And that SCENT! The burning...God...I really missed this. _

He stroked her hair gently. Bella stirred.

_She's different. Mature, all grown up...just what I wanted for her. She says it's been 7 years. I guess it has. For her._

Edward stiffened as a flood of unpleasant memories welled up in his mind.

_I thought she was dead. Alice saw her drowning! And then seeing her kiss that DOG in her house! How happy she looked and how they twirled. I wanted to RIP HIM APPART! _

With the last thoughts, a searing pain went right through his heart. The memory was still just as painful as it was when he saw Bella kissing Jacob on the day of some funeral which he thought was hers...

_She was happy, she moved on. Exactly what I wanted. To make her happy and safe. Letting her go then was the best decision I could have made..._

He tried to push the thought away and took another deep breath of her intoxicating scent and his throat started to burn again and he could taste the venom in his mouth. And that felt good.

It was getting lighter and as the sun was ready to rise. Bella stirred and murmured his name just as she used to. A burst of love and affection surged through Edward and he was reminded just how much she meant to him.

_"I don't think I want to stay away from you ever again!"_ he whispered very softly and quickly, which to human ears would have sounded as a sigh, had she been awake.


	11. Three sides to every story

**Three sides of every story**

Bella was lying on her front with her arm dangling off the side of the bed as she slowly came back to consciousness. She opened her eyes and looked at the little alarm clock next to her bed. 12:03. She exhaled deeply, slightly shocked at the time. Her head felt fuzzy so she closed her eyes again. Yawn.

_'Time to get up!'_

She started turning to her back and bumped into something. She opened her eyes and was met with Edward's smile. She gasped in surprise and the events of the evening started flooding back.

_Sushi, club, music, lyrics, stage, car, dancing.....kissing... passion._

She smiled back. He leaned in very, very closely and brushed his lips gently against hers. His cold lips felt like a burn. It felt good.

"Good morning, sleepy head!" he said cheerfully.

"Hey...so, you're not a figment of my excitement-starved imagination." Bella tried a joke. _'I'm not going crazy!_ _That's a good start_.' and then she continued out loud. "Were you here the whole night?" Edward nodded.

Bella got up. She was wearing her oversized tee and not much else. She was oblivious to Edward's admiring glance and started looking for something to wear. She was feeling quite emotional as the full impact of last night finally hit her. And then she remembered what Edward promised her and she turned to him.

"It's time to talk..." he nodded again, and smiled.

"I promised, I'll tell you whatever you want to know about everything that happened since I left you on our meadow" Both of them flinched involuntarily when he mentioned this, but chose to ignore it. "And I would appreciate the same courtesy...."

*******

They were sitting on a bench in Hyde Park. It was an overcast Saturday afternoon and it looked like rain. Even though it was the weekend, the park was half empty. That was perfect for them. Not many people, overcast skies and a quiet spot. So far not much was said. They both sat quietly, Bella staring ahead into the Lido and Edward staring at Bella. Bella kept silent as she was still trying to figure out what to ask first and Edward was just happy to be around her; he had all the time in the world.

"OK, let's start with a simple question. Nothing big, I'm not ready for the big stuff yet" Bella started reluctantly. "Was that you in the blood bank yesterday?"

"No, it was John". Edward responded matter-of-factly. Bella gasped in understanding what it was about John that she found so interesting.

"Ah...I was right. John IS a vampire....I kinda thought he might be. I mean, his voice was completely mesmerising. And he did seem to glow yesterday in the club... " Bella was pleased with her skills of deduction.

"Yes, he is. I can get into all of that now but you should probably know how it all happened, so we can cover the basics, maybe start at the beginning....." He stopped as Bella lifted her hand to stop him speaking.

"As I said, not really ready for the full story. Let me ask the questions, OK? Alice? Where is she? Where is your family?"

"They are all fine Bella. But, really it will make more sense if we start at the beginning...And...erm... Bella, I need to warn you that you may not like some of the things you hear...." He replied, trailing off at the end.

Bella exhaled deeply (_'How many dramatic exhales can you have in a weekend?'_) and conceded defeat.

"OK, let's start at the beginning...WHY did you leave me? Edward, you completely crushed me!..... I lost months of my life pretty much catatonic and then trying actively to kill myself because I felt you didn't love me..... I know, it was all very teenage drama queen, but that was the only way I could hear you...in my head..." She stopped. Edward looked pained by her words.

"Bella, I thought I was protecting you from myself...af...after what happened with Jasper I...I... was petrified that any one of us could do the same...."He trailed off again, looking over to Bella. She stared in front of her at the lake and the swans walking around begging for food. She was intrigued to see they were avoiding their bench. _'Clearly a lot smarter than me and know to avoid danger...'_

Edward continued.

"Please try to understand that I spent almost a century on my own..... a shell of a man, with nothing to look forward to......And, and then I meet you and....fall in love....for the first time ever I had a purpose...... you became the most important thing in my life.... The thought of you dead....." He stopped again. '_this is not going to be easy and we haven't even gotten to the hard part...'_

"So, I pretended I didn't care, I left and thought you would move on. I was wrong. I am so sorry for the pain I caused you.....But....." he flinched at the thought of what he was going to say next "you did have Ja...Jacob...". Bella looked at him sharply and wanted to say something.

"Please don't stop me. Let me tell you what happened...." Edward pleaded.

"After I left you, we all went north to Alaska to stay with Tanya and her sisters - they are 'vegetarians' like us. They are as close a thing to family that we have. Irina, one of her sisters had fallen in love with Laurent - remember him? He was with James and Victoria when they came to Forks." Edward's expression went glacial when mentioning them and it didn't escape him that Bella flinched.

"He....he...tried to kill me..." Bella whispered.

"I KNOW! Alice saw it too late! I was enraged and started running to Forks, but she stopped me. She saw you alive and well...so I stayed away...It was very difficult to do that....and then we lost you. Nothing, not a single image. Alice could not see you at all. I was worried sick...so I came back to find out what happened. I saw you with Charlie at his house. You were alive. That's all that mattered." Edward stopped. He was agitated. His eyes were black.

Bella stared at him. She was in disbelief. And in pain. It wasn't easy to hear this, to relive those miserable days. Edward smiled at her gently and touched her cheek.

"So, I left again....convinced that it was best for you for me not to be there...." he continued slowly.

"You came back? You were there? I could have seen you?" She asked impatiently. Edward looked pained. She continued relentlessly.

"So..if you left then, how did you know about Jacob?" He looked up sharply.

"I saw you" He said simply. She looked back at him questioningly. "I saw you kiss in Charlie's house."

"So you came back again? Why?" She was getting really annoyed at the story and the fact that she was in the dark about so many things. Edward sighed.

"Bella....I...we couldn't see you for months! Nothing, not a single image...I was going out of my mind. Literally. I was harassing Alice to tell me about you - she wasn't getting a single image. And then, one day she sees you jumping off a cliff and Victoria in the water... you were drowning...I thought I lost you Bella! FOREVER!" Now, Edward was very agitated and his eyes turned completely black as if he was ready to pounce on his pray. In this case, that could well be Bella. His personal brand of heroin.

Bella flinched and got up quickly, to break the moment. Edward immediately calmed down.

"I'm sorry, Bella, please forgive me, I....it's still very painful for me to think about that day" He was pleading.

Bella sat back down and held his hand. He smiled insecurely and continued.

"I had been hunting Victoria for months, but she kept escaping me. You have to understand; I was half crazy by this point. Rosalie wasn't helping...she was taunting me about having to leave Forks. She hates to move. Anyway, I digress... I decided to come and see for myself. So I came to Forks. And followed your scent. I couldn't smell you. Everything stank of DOG.....I ended up in front of Charlie's house....and saw JACOB....kissing you. And. You. Kissed. Him. Back. And then you twirled. You looked so happy.....I....achieved....what I wanted.....I guess...I ...you....moved on and were happy."

Edward went quiet. He stopped. For the first time, Bella realised his side of this messed up story. She finally realised that he loved her. He left her in that meadow, because he truly loved her. It came as a bit of a shock. All these years, she felt sorry for herself, being abandoned...and now she realised his pain. She pulled closer to him and held his head on her chest and kissed him gently on his forehead. He looked up at her and kissed her back.

"Please, don't stop..." She said gently.

"I was confused. I ran into the mountains, north, towards Seattle. I needed to process what I saw and figure out what I would do next. I must have sat there for hours. I picked up a scent. Victoria - she was moving fast, in the direction of Forks. I jumped up and followed her." Edward's body tensed up as he talked.

"I focused on the scent and just ran. She was fast and relentless. I was so focused on her, I stopped paying attention where I was and suddenly, I was surrounded by reek of dogs. The little Quileute pack surrounded me." Edward was now completely tense and he suddenly stood up. Bella flinched involuntarily at his sudden movement and comprehension crept into her mind.

"One of them, with long shaggy hair walked right up to me and started growling. He was ready to attack...He was so easy to read. Little Jacob...." Edward sneered. He stopped and looked at Bella again. The wind picked up. It started to rain.

******

_"What are you doing here, LEECH? How dare you come back? After you treated Bella so badly? You bastard!...And you are on forbidden territory? Or have you forgotten our arrangement so quickly?" Aaaah, little doggy is upset with me...._

_"Hello DOG! Why the hell are you surrounding me, when Victoria is probably at Bella's house by now? You idiots!"_

_Ok, at least one of them seems to have some sense. GOD, the smell! I'm going to have to stop breathing. _

_"I am Sam, leader of the pack." _

_He seems reasonable. Pretty annoyed at me though. Ah, I can see Laurent, Bella. He was there! Ah...they killed Laurent and saved Bella. OK, remember that Edward. Still, Jacob is really annoying...._

_"Sam, you need to control your puppies. Jacob here is getting irate." _

_OK, below the belt, but Jacob is just SO irritating._

_"Can you blame him? He's been picking up the pieces of your mess for the last 6 months. What are you doing here?" _

_What mess does he mean? Bella? But she looked happy...in love...with...Jacob. Focus, Edward!_

_"I was tracking Victoria, she was headed this way. I was almost on her and then you surrounded me. You should really send someone to Bella's house to check that she's OK. She is determined to kill her!" _

_These dogs are really slow! _

_"We have someone guarding her house 24/7. You know, she's been a bit irrational lately, so we decided to make sure she's OK. But thank you Edward for being so caring, after leaving her on that meadow in a catatonic state. That is really thoughtful..." _

_What? What does he mean? I didn't know! Alice never said anything...Bella, my sweet Bella..._

_"I....I....didn't know, I thought it would be best if I left....I....I thought I was doing the right thing......" Sam sniggered at me and Jacob wolf growled even louder. _

_"You bastard LEECH! You broke her heart!" Jacob was really upset. Now he was showing teeth. I guess I deserved it..._

_"Jacob, enough!" Sam shouted. "I agree...she's better off without you. And so is the rest of Forks. Cullen, I want you to leave. We can deal with one Leech quite easily. And Bella is well protected" _

_Oh, I don't think so Wolfy!_

_"Sam, I respect your position. But, I will not leave until Victoria is dead. She is here because of me and I do not want Bella, or anyone else for that matter, to get hurt. With all due respect, she is a very strong vampire and she is very, very motivated." _

_Jacob growled some more. This boy needs to develop a richer vocabulary. _

_"You don't have any right to do anything for Bella, you disgusting Leech! You had your chance!" His thoughts were quite clear._

_"You are right Jacob, and the last thing I want is to....interfere...with you ...and...and Bella. I just want her to be happy." _

_I feel as if my soul will be ripped right out of my chest. I will help this DOG be happy with the love of my existence...._

_"Jacob, shift back." Sam ordered and Jacob obeyed. He came back from the wood._

_"OK, Edward, you are allowed to help us. Only you. We do not want any others to come here. And I don't want you to be seen. You and Jacob will work together and the pack will help you bring Victoria down." _

_So, I'm working with the one person I would love to rip to pieces. Jealousy will not help here....And Bella can not find out....But at least I can see her....from a distance...._

_And so it begins._

****************

Bella gasped with comprehension. Edward sat quietly and waited for her reaction. And he knew she would not be happy.

"Wha'.....You're telling me you and Jacob worked together to track Victoria? And the pack? Sam and Jake were working with you. You? You were in Forks for how long? When? Did you see me? Jake told me that....he....I....but....he said....they...all told me that there was no sign of any covens....any vampires.....he....he....LIED to me! He lied....and...I...you...you were...there...I...." Bella was stuttering. She could feel the anger grow and it was about to burst out with full force. She jumped up and started running along the lake. Tears started coming down her face uncontrollably. She just ran. She avoided the swans and ducks. It started raining again. She was getting soaked.

Edward let her go. _'Oh dear....this will not be easy....at least the worst part is over...I hope'_

Bella ran out of steam a few hundred yards away from Edward. She was at the other side of the small lake. She looked up to the bench they were sitting on. He was not there. He was standing right next to her. She jumped when she saw him next to her.

"Bella....you need to understand. It was the best thing to do. You were happy with Jacob. He told me all about what you did. I felt even worse and I was even more determined that you should not know I was there. We both wanted to make sure you could live a normal....well, mostly normal life." He stopped.

_'I am actually trying to make that DOG look good! How did it come to this?'_ Edward was in disbelief.

"Oh, that makes it all right then! Edward, don't you see? I'm not some damsel in distress that needed to be rescued all the bloody time! And Jacob lied to me! The one person I always relied on as the most truthful and kind and sweet person, LIED TO ME! For YEARS! He said there were no other covens coming through, that it was peaceful, quite dull! He was wondering about this....No covens, no vampires....And he used the BLOODY Victoria card, when EVER it BLOODY suited HIM. He even BLOODY used it before I left for London to try to BLOODY stop me!" She shouted at him and the few people in the park were starting to stare. She was furious and she was pulling an almighty strop. She continued

"And I would guess.....considering that you have not been around for a while, I guess Victoria is dead? You succeeded in your quest?" She continued angrily.

Edward couldn't help by laugh at the display of anger. And then immediately regretted it. _'Mistake!'_

Bella was even more furious and starting fisting Edward. He laughed harder.

"How is that funny? How? Is any of this funny? " She shouted at him. The rain kept pouring down. She was completely wet. Edward stopped laughing and stifled the last few giggles.

"I'm sorry Bella..... Yes, we did....I'm sorry that Jacob lied to you. I'm sorry....I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry that you feel betrayed. I'm sorry....Please let me tell you the rest of the story....but first, we need to get you inside. You are completely wet. There is a cafe of there, let's go in; get you something warm to drink. OK?" Edward put his arm around her and Bella didn't resist. She calmed down and suddenly realised just how wet she was. And cold.

******

"So? Pray continue..." Bella was holding a cup of hot chocolate and felt better. Edward looked at her anxiously as if he was trying to organise his memories prior to speaking.

"It took another year of hunting. Victoria realised what was happening and ran off again. I mostly did it on my own. I only spoke with Sam a few times I tracked her for months. She finally settled in Seattle and started creating a new army of vampires..... It was a mess..... She didn't train them, she didn't care for them..... All of us had to work together to keep it quiet - Carlisle called in some favours. As you know, we have to keep our presence secret and she made it difficult. She managed to escape with a couple of young soldiers. We caught up with them in the woods north of Forks, in the mountains. It took all of us and the entire pack to take them down. You know, young vampires are VERY strong and it was not easy....." He stopped for a moment looking serious. And then he looked at Bella with tenderness.

"It was around the time of your graduation.... Sam allowed me to stick around. I mean, Jacob was really unhappy with this, but that was the deal... I...I even indulged myself...and came to see you one night...I just sat there as I used to before...just hearing you breathe was a huge comfort. I'm sorry to admit that I went through your papers. I saw that you accepted your position at University of Washington in Seattle. Biology... I was so proud!.... And it was obvious that Jacob cared for you, so..... I knew you would be fine." He stopped again. His eyes were sad.

"I left that night.....I never came to look for you again.....I ran far and never looked back."

Edward stopped for the last time. He ran out of steam....He looked ahead back to the lake. The rain was pouring down. Now it was Bella's turn to stare at him. She was trying to process all the he said and the facts he revealed.

The fact that he really did love her.

The fact that Jacob loved her enough to lie about Victoria.

The fact that both of them lied to her.

The fact that the truth is always so much more complicated than you think and that there are always several sides to every story.

And the fact that she was completely puzzled about what would happen next.


	12. Out in the open

**Out in the open**

"I was right! I wasn't ready for the big stuff. Tell me about John. Where did you meet him?"

Edward still looked pained, but he seemed to relax a little bit. When she mentioned John, he even managed a smile.

Bella was trying to keep it casual. She was frantically trying to process everything that was said and the realisations she came to in the last couple of hours. That was not easy and her brain kept exploding with questions. All of them difficult. So, she kept it light.

"He was one of Victoria's soldiers." Edward stated calmly and even smiled.

"Wha...?" Bella was stunned. And she was wondering why he looked so happy saying this.

"On the night we finally caught Victoria, he surrendered to me. He actually begged me to kill him. He said he was disgusted with himself and what he had to do to humans, that he couldn't face eternity of killing to survive." Edward's eyes were miles away as he was remembering.

"You have to understand how amazing this was. It's not very common for such a young vampire to have such a strong conscience. None of the other 'soldiers' showed any remorse. Even Carlisle was stunned." Edward continued talking like a proud older brother.

"So, he became the latest Cullen. At the time, we were living with Tanya in Alaska. We brought him over there and started training him to live our vegetarian lifestyle. He was a natural. His favourite animal turned out to be bear. Emmett was ecstatic! Jasper really helped him with controlling his hunger and Carlisle helped with dealing with humans. But, he was my responsibility so most of the work fell on to me. And I REALLY needed to occupy my days with something other than thinking about you..."

With these words he stared at Bella smouldering. She felt a jolt in her heart, spreading like butterflies into her stomach. And further down. Her mouth felt dry. He seemed pleased with her reaction and then looked away and continued.

"After the basics, I wanted to learn what his thing was. I didn't want to do the same routine as we did for years - you know school, daily routines...Besides he just graduated from high school. So he wasn't too keen to go back so quickly!"

"His thing turned out to be music. He played the guitar a little. And you've heard him sing! Pure velvet. We really clicked. We started writing stuff together and spent most of our time making music. I mean it would go on for days....and it was great. Days melted into weeks and I managed not to think about you all the time...But John wanted more - he wanted to get the music out to the people, he wanted to be heard. And I... I still needed something more to get me out of temptation to see you. So, we left Alaska and went to Chicago. I hadn't lived there since Carlisle brought me over. It was so strange to come back to my city...." Edward looked lost in thought once again and his voice took a cadence of another time.

He smiled and held her hand. Once again, the butterflies were back and her mouth felt dry. She tried not to focus on his beautiful lips and looked out to the lake. It was still raining.

"So, I bought a house, we built a studio and started jamming with the local guys. This is how we met Charlie and Vince. And so Firefly was born. This was three years ago. But it only got big about a year ago. We had a MySpace page for a while but about 12 months ago we got a record deal and here we are!" He finished.

"Do Vince and Charlie know what you are?" Bella was still keeping it light. And she really wanted to know

"Yes. We were playing in a club late one night in South Chicago. On the way back we got attacked by a local gang. These guys meant to hurt us. So, John and I dealt with it. It was pretty obvious that what we did could not be explained just by going to the gym regularly......So, I decided to tell them. Vince didn't take it at all well. He completely freaked out and ran off. He left the band and disappeared for a few months. Charlie was completely cool about it. It reminded me of you. Strange human with no fear of the predator..." He smiled at her again. "Charlie managed to persuade Vince to come back. The band just wasn't the same without him."

"And the blood bank thing is a necessity?" She kept up the interview.

"Yup. No mountain lions in Chicago. Or bears. And particularly not in London." Edward answered obligingly.

"So how come your eyes are still topaz and not red if you are drinking human blood?" The questions just kept coming. Bella was on a roll and it kept her from dealing with the big stuff.

"The blood is dead. It's not the same like killing a human to feed. You get the life energy out of them and that leaves you hungry for more." Edward's voice took a new velvety tone, that was incredibly attractive and very dangerous. His eyes turned a somewhat darker shade of brown. He inched closely to Bella's neck and inhaled sharply. She looked up. His eyes were black. He shivered and kissed her. Her heart jolted and she kissed him right back.

They continued kissing inappropriately for 5 pm on a Saturday in a public park in London.

And Bella suffered a temporary amnesia brought on by a burst of passion.

************

Edward turned the ignition key and they started driving north. Edward put some chill out music on and as always looked at Bella, and not the road. That was still just as disconcerting as ever.

"Your turn." He said. "I genuinely have no idea about your life since I left. And as I can't read your mind...." he smirked at her "Talk."

"Erm..." Bella didn't know where to start and wasn't sure how he would react. "Jake made me very happy. For years, I was content going to college, being with him. I loved him very much. Still do."

Edward turned his attention to the road. Not that he actually needed to. He just didn't want her to see his anguish.

They accelerated sharply. Bella continued.

"He imprinted last summer. It sucked. I left to get away from that whole mess. Here I am in London. End of story! Not much to say really!" She finished hastily. She had a manic grin on her face.

Edward pressed on the break and started at her. The light was red.

"He what? He imprinted? But, I was convinced he already imprinted on you! I mean, he certainly behaved that way..." With that his mood changed and she felt the speed increase again. They started zooming through the traffic well over the speed limit. His face looked as cold as marble. And the next moment he looked furious.

"That worthless DOG! I left you with him only as I thought he was imprinted and would take care of you! I, I left you! For the second time, against every atom in my body! And now he hurt you! B****ard!"

"Edward, slow DOWN!" Bella was in full panic mode. Edward ignored her as he zig-zagged through the cars approaching a major road.

"He couldn't help it! Don't you get it? It didn't make it any less painful when it happened, but he couldn't help it. OK? Calm down Edward!" She shouted. He wasn't listening and kept speeding.

"Please... calm down" she whispered. Edward finally took notice and exhaled deeply. He took his foot off the pedal and they went down from 110 to measly 80 m/h.

He was brooding. Finally, he turned to face her. His eyes were full of tenderness and love. _And pity! _He reached for her face and stroked it.

"Bella...sweetheart...Oh, my....my love...you..."

_I don't need this! I don't need his pity!_

"Don't Edward! I don't need you to feel sorry for me! And I don't want to feel sorry for myself all over again! I am a grown woman and at my age it's pretty normal to get your heart broken.... Of course, it was painful but not exactly uncommon. It happens to millions of people every day! And coming to London was one of the best decisions I've made. I like it here!" She finished almost shouting and turned to face the road.

They were on the M25, the 117 mile orbital motorway which encircles Greater London. _Well that's appropriate! _They were going round in circles. Literally. Geographically. She really hoped that the same wouldn't happen with them. Emotionally_. I wouldn't bet my life on it…_

Edward went quiet and seemed to have some internal discussion about what just happened. He kept glancing at Bella. And then he started fidgeting, clearly wanting to ask something. A vampire. Fidgeting. But the next question was not what Bella expected.

"So, Tom Fowler. What's the story with him? He seems VERY keen on you. Izzy!" He was teasing! She was exasperated. But at least Edward lightened up.

"Oh GOD, Edward, not the Mike Newton story again! We're just friends. You should really pay better attention to his thoughts."

"I did! That's how I found you."

"Oh?"

"Well, I have this little routine before the gigs listening in to assess the crowd.."

"That's cheating!"

"Yeah well…anyway, I was scanning the crowd and I heard this guy that was so concerned about a girl called Izzy, thinking about how quiet and unhappy she seemed and hoping she would have a good time. I was intrigued and wanted to see how Izzy felt about him. And I couldn't hear her. Nothing….and that's never happened with anyone except you." He paused.

"I was struck dumb. I tried to catch a glimpse of you but the crowd was too big. And then I caught your scent! Wow….that was amazing. After all this time…". He moaned with pleasure and inhaled deeply.

"But then I was worried about this Tom character thinking about you. A little too much…He really loves you...IZZY." He finished mischievously.

"As a friend! Maybe annoying little sister! A well liked colleague. Pick any of those." Bella was getting a little irritated with this old routine. He wasn't budging.

"A little more than that, IZZY! Tom's little Izzy!" Edward continued teasing. "And anyway, why is everyone calling you that? I remember that you were quite specific about being called Bella."

"Well, because that what I asked them to. Izzy is my new persona. Hi, I'm Izzy Swan, PhD student from Seattle. I love music and hate blood.....Had a bad break up. A bit quiet. And have lived a boring existence, never come across anything out of the ordinary. Let alone supernatural!" Bella finished dramatically.

Edward seemed satisfied with that and finally let it go. They drove in silence for a while. He was driving fast. But he was calm and Bella felt safe. He seemed completely lost in thought. Almost as if he switched off and drove on autopilot. Bella used that time to think through everything.

She had a growing sense of peace coming over her. No more doubts about Edward. No more fear of Victoria. And she finally thought she could start rebuilding her friendship with Jake.

Quite suddenly Edward went from autopilot back to fidgeting. He was about to do something…_Uh-oh!_ He faced her and flashed the most glorious smile. Bella couldn't help but smile back. And the butterflies were right back. He held his hand out and held hers.

"OK, Izzy!......Erm.....well, now that we've cleared the air….and I… I'm around.....do you think you could get used to being called Bella again? You know...by me?" He looked a little anxious asking her. _Oh, he's nervous…._

"Oh, so you're planning to stick around?" Bella teased. Trying to look cool about it. But feeling anything but. She put her palm over his hand. She was sorely tempted to kiss him but snapped out of it.

"Well, we have only 10 more gigs in Europe and then I'm done for a while. I could stay in London....with you....I mean - only if you want me to...." He stuttered through that last sentence. Bella stayed quiet.

"I mean not WITH you....I do have a house in London....I mean, we could see each other....." He trailed off and throwing sideways glances at Bella.

"So, you asking me on a date?" Bella sensed Edward was getting serious and tried to keep the light tone going for a little longer. With little success.

"Well, not so much a date...you know how I feel about you...I want to be with you." Edward explained seriously.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, it would be great if you stayed. And yes, we can see each other…. But right now, I need to sleep. Do you think we could go back to my house? And don't you need to check in with the band?"

****************

Bella walked out of the shower feeling a bit better. By the time they got back it was late. She was suffering a major emotional hangover. The weight of everything that happened in the last 24 hours was catching up with her. She needed to sleep. Alone. So after a very long kiss that made it very difficult to do so, she actually kicked Edward out of her bed and her apartment and was getting ready to sleep. She also locked the windows.

But before she went to bed, there was something she wanted to do. She fired up the laptop, logged onto her email and opened the message from Jake that made her so sad and teary less than 48 hours ago.

Hey Jake...

Thanks for the news.

_No, that does not sound right. It's too formal and dull._

Hey Jake!

It's great to hear from you and to get all of the news from Forks.

_Oh....I don't know...blah blah blah, I just want to get straight to the point_

Hey Jake.

It's great to hear from you. Thank you for persevering. And for being a friend and keeping me in your heart. It was great to read the news and hear about everyone in Forks. I talk to Charlie, but you know how chatty he is - doesn't really share much.

To be honest with you, I was planning on ignoring you again. It still hurts so much when I think of what I lost when I left. I lost my best friend....I've missed you....

Life in London's been great. Busy. Great friends. Interesting. Uncomplicated. Until yesterday, that is. Then, I went to see a band, The Firefly...and to my surprise - who walks on stage? Edward. Yes, the Leech as you like to call him! Anyway...we got talking. He told me all about you and him, and the pact you had. And Victoria....

Jake - it was wrong of you not to tell me about her, to keep using her for emotional blackmail. And for so long. You lied to me! And kept lying. For years.

I'm not sure I'll be able to forgive you for keeping her death away from me, but I know you did it because you loved me and had my best interest at heart.

I hope we can rebuild our friendship and start over...

Bella

_OK, I think that's enough excitement and emotional outbursts for one day..._

Bella dragged herself from the computer. She sprawled herself across the bed. Her head was still buzzing. Edward's lovely face kept popping into her tired mind and with every instance, the defences she built against him for the last seven years, were shattering and she was overtaken with a warm glow of love. _Here we go again..._was the last thought she had before drifting off into dead sleep.


	13. Meanwhile

**Meanwhile **

He kept running. He loved the wind in his hair, the rain on his nuzzle. Jake was enjoying a relaxing Sunday morning running through the woods. He spent a couple of weeks on the reserve to help Rachel and Paul extend their house. He was desperate to get back to Seattle. He was running to Logan. Just the thought of her still made him inexplicably happy and content. He started running even faster. He was close to the outskirts of the city and ran to his hidden location. A tree large enough to phase back without being noticed. And get dressed. He came out from behind the tree and walked to the parking lot where he left his bike.

He started the engine and headed into the city. He loved riding his old bike almost as much as running the woods as a wolf free of all restraints of his human form. He loved speed. He looked down at the speed dial and realised he was speeding. _Only a little_... The urge to see prevailed over following traffic rules.

As he approached Logan's street, he slowed right down. He saw Logan's Aprillia 125 parked outside and Caleb's latest purchase: a Triumph Speed Triple. A 'naked' bike, whose only purpose was pure unadulterated fun.

_Wow, that's a beautiful bike...what are the chances Caleb will let me ride it? Erm...none. _

As he pulled in he saw Logan standing outside, clearly waiting for him.

_How does she do this? I mean my Harley is not exactly unique, yet she recognises it every time. _

She was standing in her shorts and sweatshirt smiling at him. His heart leapt right into his mouth at the sight of her blue eyes and her smile. Her hair was a mess (as always). It had grown long since they met last fall and she attempted to tame it in a ponytail but failed. She threw her arms around his shoulders, pulled herself up on her toes and kissed him. For a moment they both forgot themselves and continued their kiss for an inappropriate length of time for a respectable residential area.

"Ahem!" Caleb feigned a cough. Neither of them were surprised as this tended to happen pretty regularly. Jake pulled away and gently pushed Logan away from him, still holding her hand. He tried a put on a responsible, adult expression, as he knew all too well that his signature Jake smile did not work on Caleb. His attempt didn't work. Caleb looked pretty annoyed.

"Jake, Logan, I thought we discussed this! Get inside!" Caleb WAS furious.

_If I told them once, I told hem a thousand times. I know they're in love but com' on. In the front garden of MY house!!!!_

At this particular moment Caleb did not care about imprinting, destiny, the fact that he actually really liked Jake and enjoyed spending hours discussing the latest bike models. And especially could not come to terms with the fact that his little ANGEL went all mushy over a guy. His wife, Frannie, disagreed with him violently. She understood her daughter perfectly.

"Jake, sweetheart, you're here! Poor thing, you must be starved! Get inside, and let me feed you" Frannie cooed at Jake.

Caleb was disgusted.

"Caleb, you just leave them alone! Jake, honey, how's your dad?" Frannie continued to tweet.

"He's great, thanks Frannie. You should come and visit - Rachel would love to see you" Jake tweeted back but was struggling with small talk as the smell of meatloaf tickled his nose. He WAS completely starving. He grabbed Logan around her waist and dragged her towards the food.

"Oh, Jake! You're always hungry! And I bet Emily fed you before you left...." Logan just wanted him to herself but she would have to wait (AGAIN!) while he stuffed his face on her mom's food.

_It does smell good though..._

and she tucked into the food Frannie placed in front of her.

************

"Finally!" Logan exclaimed and threw herself on her bed. "I finally have you all to myself!"

"Yes, you do...." Jake was equally happy with this result. "Did you have anything in mind that two of us could do, on a Sunday afternoon?" He edged very close to her and brushed his lips suggestively on hers. Logan liked his idea, but if she knew her dad, he was itching for an excuse to come in, so......

"I sure do! But, I'm afraid Caleb wouldn't be too happy....And I have homework to do - wanna help?" she asked eagerly.

Jake was less than enthusiastic about the idea of homework, but doing anything with Logan was fun. So, homework it was - English literature. They were doing Dickens - The Great Expectations. A story about 19th century London society, growing pains, and twisted love.

_Thinking about London and twisted love stories...I wonder..._He didn't actually expect anything, but it became a bit of a habit to check whether Bells would ever again speak to him. He still missed her just as much as he did in November last year no matter how madly in love he was with Logan. He tried to look casual as he edged towards Logan's laptop.

"Sweetie, do you mind if I check my email? I've been cut off from modern world at Billy's." He flashed the trademark Jake smile he knew made Logan weak at the knees and started logging on. Logan just beamed at him unsuspectingly and nodded. He scanned the list of unread emails. Spam, spam, work, more spam. And then, there it was. The one email he'd been hoping to see for months and months. He shivered with excitement and opened it with lightning speed.

His heart sank. _So the Leech finally caught up with her..._

And then it sank again. _Shit...she knows about Victoria_

He kept on reading. He read the short email again. And then one more time.

_Hey Jake....It's great to hear from you.... being a friend and keeping me in your heart....... It still hurts so much when I think of what I lost when I left. I lost my best friend....I've missed you........ Until yesterday, that is. Then, I went to see a band, The Firefly.......Edward. ... Leech as you ..... He told me all about you and him, and the pact you had. And Victoria.......emotional blackmail. ...... You lied to me! .....forgive you............ best interest at heart.....rebuild our friendship and start over..._

He focused on the last sentence. There was hope there. But he knew that it would probably take a very long time before Bella would fully forgive him for the lies about Victoria. _I was so certain that she was my soul mate, that she was the one, I just wanted to protect her and make her happy..._with this thought Logan jumped back on the bed with masses of folders and her book clearly ready to kick some English homework butt. Just as she leaned over him with surprising speed, Jake quickly closed his email and hoped she didn't notice anything. He turned to Logan and smiled the best smile he could. She smiled back but looked strained. _Damn...not sure I got away with this..._

***

Logan was buzzing around the room trying to focus her mind on the task at hand. The Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the whole 800 pages of it were sitting on her desk. Her own great expectations for this Sunday afternoon were quite different...._well as long we are together..._she felt a strong surge of happiness and glanced at Jacob.

He just asked something about the laptop but his smile made her a little forgetful, so she wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. In any case, he was deep in thought.

She thought of the last few months since he declared his love to her in Billy's house and Caleb went berserk..._It's still a bit intense to think I have a werewolf boyfriend that is completely devoted to me for the rest of my life...a GORGEOUS boyfriend, who's into BIKES! And, he's all mine. _

The butterflies in her stomach were back. _Concentrate Jones!_

She finally grabbed everything she would need - the book, the folders, the notes and she jumped onto the bed behind Jake. He was completely absorbed in reading something on the screen and his face was very serious. Logan peeked over his shoulder and the next moment she felt as if a volcano erupted deep inside. _Freakin' Bella! Will that never end! What the hell!_

She exhaled deeply and tried to calm down. Just at that moment Jake flashed his signature smile. She couldn't help but smile, but it was strained. The volcano was still bubbling, simmering just under the surface. She felt she could explode at any moment and she continued the conflicting debate of thoughts firing through her mind.

_What the hell is he doing writing to her? Why is he still trying to be friends?_

_Logan, be reasonable...she was not just his girlfriend, she was his best friend..._

_I don't care!!!! I just want him for myself! And besides, she always loved the freakin' vampires more!_

_Com' on Jones, be an adult. _

She finally relaxed. This was helped significantly by Jake's long kiss. _No fair...._but she didn't really care. When they finally parted lips, she almost completely forgot why she was angry in the first place.

"OK sweetie, time to do the homework..." Jake was trying to be the responsible adult when he was sure that Logan was happy again. He grabbed her notes. "So, we need to write an essay about the character of Miss Havisham..." He tried hard to be enthusiastic, but he was never into reading much. However, years of living with Bella and her books, he picked up quite a lot. And Bella read A LOT of Dickens. So Miss Havisham should not be a problem.

Logan nodded and was ready to get this done. _The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go out on the bikes.... _

*****

By the time she finished typing the final sentence of her book report, Logan was exhausted. It was late and it was getting dark outside. _Damn..._

Jake was asleep on the bed beside her. She nudged him and he moaned softly. He opened his eyes.

"Sorry babe, I guess I really was tired. You done? Wanna go riding?" he asked softly. Logan pointed at the window.

"It's dark outside..." She tried to hide her disappointment. And didn't succeed.

"Oh, that's too bad...we'll go tomorrow. 'K? Listen, I'm gonna go. Gotta be at work early and I clearly need to sleep. I doubt that Caleb would let me stay, no matter how many times I promise to be responsible and pledge my love and devotion to you" He started getting up, stroking Logan's cheek.

His phone buzzed and started ringing. Sam's special, pack business only, ultra-urgent ring tone. He jumped off the bed and grabbed the phone quickly.

"Sam?" His senses sharpened and he felt that tingling sensation before phasing. He could smell the cigarette smoke that little Mike was trying to hide from his parents 4 houses up the road. He could also hear that Caleb was once again ranting at the latest Bloomberg market report from his study. And, he could definitely sense trouble.

"Jake, we have serious trouble. Get back here as soon as you can." Sam stated urgently.

"What happened?" Jake was dreading the answer.

"I'll tell you when you phase. Just get here quickly". Sam responded and hung up.

Jake closed his phone and got up to leave. Logan looked completely panicked. He realised that all of this must have sounded quite ominous. There was really no trouble since they killed Victoria all those years ago and in the last few months hardly any point in even phasing (except that he loved being a wolf!). He owed her an explanation, but he didn't even know what to tell her. So, the truth was the easiest option. And besides, she had an uncanny capability to figure things out even if he didn't tell her...

"It's Sam, something's wrong and he wants me back in La Push. I don't know why though. I gotta go now." Her beautiful blue eyes widened even more in fear. And that made him feel more anxious than any trouble waiting for him in La Push. He wanted to stay and protect her more than anything else. But he had no choice. The Alpha summoned him and he had to go.

Logan didn't have a chance to say anything as he left the room at lightning speed. He shouted goodbye to Caleb and Frannie on his way out and left. As he was getting ready to ride out of their carport, Logan ran out to him and squeezed him tight.

"Come back to me safe and sound. You hear?" And then she ran back into the house.

****

He started to run back to La Push. As soon as he phased he could hear the muddle of thoughts from Leah, Sam, Paul and the others. He was right. It was the worst kind of trouble. Vampires were back and these ones were new. He sensed confusion from the pack.

"Sam, what the hell is happening?" Jake spoke to Sam.

"We got leeches. And not the Cullen kind. Get to the Cullen house double quick." Sam 'spoke' back.

Jake shuddered at the thought of what this could mean to La Push and Forks. Even with a pack as big as theirs, if they have unknown vampires, there was likely to be collateral damage with innocent people dying. Nevertheless, the potential of a proper fight exhilarated him more than he was prepared to admit to himself. And so he started to run as fast as he could.

When he arrived at the Cullen's house, most of the pack was there. They were all standing in front of the Cullen door looking at something. As he approached them he saw there was something written on the door in blood red. He could finally read the red spidery writing clearly

**_The secret is sacred. V _**

"What the hell is that?" Jacob blurted out. Sam looked back at him and shrugged his shoulders.

"It seems to be a message for the Cullens. And whoever wrote this doesn't seem too happy with them. And they are not aware that they have not lived here for years." Sam looked worried.

"Freakin' Leeches!" Paul shouted. "They are bringing trouble to us even when they are not around! We should have killed them all! We never should have trusted them in the first place!" He was having trouble controlling his temper and started to tremble.

"Paul ENOUGH! You're not helping!" The Alpha growled at Paul and he backed down. Sam looked at Jacob.

"Jake, you wouldn't happen to know anything about this?" Jake stared at Sam in disbelief.

"What do you mean? How the HELL should I know what this is about? The last time I saw the Cullens was when we dealt with that crazy Victoria and her bloodsucking freaks!" He was not impressed with what Sam implied.

"OK, calm down Jake. I had to ask, you know? Whoever they are, they don't seem to care about any treaties we had with the Cullens. These guys are not 'vegetarians'. Charlie Swan came to Billy's house to warn about wild animal attacks in the area. A couple of hikers disappeared in the area. Found their bodies mauled and drained of blood. Sound familiar?"

Sam was reminding them of when James and Victoria passed the area. And when Victoria was hunting for Bella.

"We need to find out who and how many. And what they want here." With that Sam split the pack and they began the patrol of the area.

*****

"We got nothing. The scent disappeared going north as soon as we left the local woods. Whoever it was searched the immediate area around Forks and didn't go north." Sam, Paul and Colin returned empty handed.

"Us too. We picked up 2 different scents around Forks, went south and then nothing" Leah, Quil and Jared had the same result.

"They went east." Jake's search party (Seth, Quil and Embry) was more successful. "But, I think they drove - the scent was very weak. We went way out east and they kept going that way."

"I'm not happy with this. We still don't know what they wanted or if they will come back." Sam was thinking out loud. Then he exhaled deeply and shook his head.

"I can't believe that I'm saying this, but it would actually be really useful if we could get in touch with the Cullens...." The pack looked at him in disbelief. Jake looked at his feet and shuffled uncomfortably. That did not go unnoticed.

"Jake?" Sam called and now the whole pack was staring at him.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit.......Damn!_

"Jake? If you have something to share, now would be a good time." Sam continued more forcefully.

"Erm...I may be able to get a hold of Edward..." Jake mumbled.

"What? You just said that you didn't have any contact with the Cullens since we killed Victoria!!!!" Paul was getting angry again.

"Jake, have you spoken to Edward? Aw man, you should have told me, I would love to speak to him again. You know he's in a band? They're really good. I mean that guy can write really good music!" Seth Clearwater, still the youngest of the pack blurted out naively. And now the attention of the whole pack turned to him.

"Come again? Edward Cullen is in a band? The freakin' leech sings?" Sam was getting very irritated with the fact his pack seemed to know more about the Cullens that he did and they never shared any of this. "You guys better come clean now! TALK!!!"

"Calm down, Sam!" Jake raised his voice. The two of them were facing off. The alpha genes in Jake were stirring up and challenging Sam.

"I said that I MAY be able to get in touch with him. Yup, he seems to be in a band - The Firefly - dunno anything else...don't really follow that stuff. Bella told me. Anyway, they found each other by chance. Bella went to their concert in London. And Edward told her everything about Victoria and our pact with him." The pack continued staring at him.

"What, she called you? For a little heart to heart?" it was Leah's turn to taunt him. _Wow, thanks Leah!_

"No, she replied to my email. I've been sending her emails hoping that she would respond. She usually doesn't but this time she did. OK? Anything else you want to know about my personal life? Can we please focus?" Jake was irritated with the teasing and the third degree.

"OK...let's think about this. Getting in touch with Bella may our best bet. Seth, do you have any other insight into the Cullens you may want to share? Does the psychic one have a TV show by any chance?" Sam was still not completely calm.

"No, I mean, I don't think so. And, you know, I just found out about Edward like a month ago. It's not like I'm on his facebook...I mean this band is just released their first album... they are like the next big thing. They were pretty big on MySpace. And Edward is using his old name - Edward Mason... They are based in Chicago and just touring Europe...." Seth kept reporting the facts on Firefly hoping that would redeem himself and appease Sam.

"Chicago? Well maybe that's where our visitors went. Hm...maybe they know about this band and they were looking for the Cullens to warn them about keeping the secret? Secret of what? Vampires?" Sam was thinking out loud again.

"Jake, you contact Bella, try to get hold of Edward. We also need to snoop around a little to find out about where the Cullens went from here. Surely the doctor would have left a forwarding address for the next hospital or something. We NEED to get a hold of the them."

Sam once again divided the pack, but this time their pursuit was of a more digital kind. Seth was to look at any contact details for the band, and to look if any other Cullens were doing the celebrity thing. Leah would speak with Charlie about getting Bella's phone number in London. Sam, Jared and Paul would ask around Forks. The rest of the pack was to patrol constantly.

******

The short summer night was ending and the sun was rising. Jake was running back to Seattle again much like the day before but mixed feelings. He ran slowly, trying to think of how he would write to Bella.

As he was approaching Seattle and his secret tree, it occurred to him that he automatically assumed that Bella and Edward would stay together. What if Bella didn't forgive Edward and told him to get lost? Somehow, he doubted that. No matter how much he hated the Leech's guts, he knew that Edward was just as devoted to Bella as Jake was now devoted to Logan and that Edward wouldn't give her up easily now that he found her again. And Jake remembered just how much Bella once loved Edward. So, he was pretty sure that even if she didn't want to go back to Edward, he would stick around. Therefore, writing to her to get to him made sense. Still it would not be simple.

As he was riding his Harley through the streets of Seattle, he realised another thing. All of the events, both good and bad, in his life for the last eight years, were completely determined by a single event - Bella Swan falling in love with Edward Cullen.

Even the trouble that was brewing right now. And he hoped all of them would get their happy ending.


	14. Desire

**Where true Love burns Desire is Love's pure flame**

Bella opened her eyes slowly. Her room was filled with a warm glow of sunshine. The remnants of the emotional hangover of the last two days were gone and she felt happy and relaxed. She got up quickly and jumped into the shower. And she needed a really long and COLD shower. After their goodnight kiss, her dreams were all about Edward and all X-rated... She decided that she would call him and show him a regular London Sunday. Nothing special. Or supernatural. And given all of the revelations of the last few days, she wanted another small (and quite embarrassing) secret to be revealed. It was a poem she wrote in the days when she first met Edward ....it was never going to see the light of day, but what the hell!

She could hear her phone buzz with a text message while in the shower. As she was getting dressed it buzzed again. She checked the messages.

_Hey Izzy! Any news u wanna share? U&Edward looked quite cozy leaving the club ;-).u must tonite?call x_

_Good morning Bella! Hope you rested well. I would love to spend the day with you as we are leaving for our tour tomorrow. If you'd like that, please call me and I'll pick you up. Given the sunshine, it will have to be a private day. Edward xxx_

_Ah, yes! Sunshine!_ Edward clearly could not show his beautiful glittery skin in public. She didn't really mind as she had hoped they could continue where they stopped yesterday......She dialed his number and felt butterflies in her stomach._ Like an over-excited teenager again..._

*****

Edward walked out of Bella's apartment and dragged himself out to his car. He just about managed to let her go. But, not before another long, passionate kiss. He felt intoxicated with her scent and found it borderline impossible to keep control of his desires and not to ravish her there and then. His somewhat outdated moral beliefs were melting away by the passion they shared for each other. . .

He sat in the car dejectedly, while all he really wanted to do is to stay with her and hold her while she slept. But he respected her wishes and stayed away. When she finally switched off her light, he started the car and drove off.

He drove on autopilot and barely noticed the areas he was driving through. He briefly paid attention - he was in Barnes, a residential area in south London, on his way to Richmond.

His thoughts were preoccupied with their conversations of that day. His revelations, her tears; her revelations, his rage and then finally contentment. He was still livid about Jacob, but he decided to forget all about that as he finally had Bella back. And that's all that mattered. He started wandering about Alice, and whether she saw any of this coming. _Probably..._ Would she have told him? _Probably not._ That realisation upset him but he could understand why she would hide it from him. He'd been miserable and suicidal for a long time. He'd also been away from the rest of the family for years. He felt a pang of guilt and decided he would call Alice as soon as he got back to Richmond.

Richmond was a beautiful and very affluent part of London, next to the largest Royal park, that also housed some 700 (juicy) deer all of which were the property of the Crown so strictly off limits (_Water, water everywhere, not a drop to drink..._). The band was staying in a beautiful regency period house, bought by Carlisle in the days after he left the Volturi and before he departed for the New World. It was a beautiful large house right on the Thames with significant secluded gardens that allowed John and Edward to enjoy sunny days without attracting attention.

_Volturi...hm, I am surprised they haven't visited me yet. I doubt they keep track of the latest music scene...But if they do, they won't be too happy about the Firefly...I really need to call Alice. _

At that moment, his phone rang.

"Edward! You found her! I'm so happy for you! You will stay together you know..." In her typical manner, Alice launched straight into the conversation skipping all the small talk. "I can't see whether she will become like us though..."

"Alice! Erm...Thanks. I don't want to know, OK? I just want to enjoy it as it comes...So, you didn't see it coming then?" He could read Alice's excited mind and saw what she had seen Bella during her stay in Scotland but nothing about the last couple of days.

"No, but you know how it works, it would have to be her making the decision to see you..." Alice sounded frustrated. Edward was trying to read her mind about the Volturi. It would seem that she hadn't seen anything about them. _Good._

"Listen, sis, I have to go get ready for the rest of the tour. I'll call..."

"Monday, yes, I know. And have a great day tomorrow. Oh, it will be sunny, so you'll have to stay in Richmond. Erm...say hello to John for me. Bye!" And she was gone. _Always the same._

John was strumming his guitar, while Charlie and Vince were asleep on the sofa in the living room as Edward walked in.

_"I guess by the grin on your face, that things went well with Bella?"_ John thought at Edward while continuing to strum.

"Yes, I think so. Hopefully, I'll see her tomorrow. Oh Alice says hi and that it will be sunny tomorrow. So I might bring Bella here. Any messages for me?"

"No, nothing. Why, should there be?" John looked at Edward quizzically.

"Erm, let's hope not"

*****

_I'm in front of your building. whenever you're ready. Ex_

Edward spent the rest of the night sitting at the piano working on their new material with John and focusing really hard on not thinking about meeting Bella. He finally cracked and sent her a text around 10. And she called back sounding equally excited to see him. It took about 40 minutes of keeping to speeding restrictions to get to her house. So here he was.

A minute or so later, Bella burst out of her apartment block, tripping over her own foot and almost falling flat on her face, but she managed to stop last minute and she threw a big smile in the general direction of the blacked out glass on his car. _She is so beautiful and she doesn't even know it..._She was wearing a very summery dress, crocs and a massive hat. Her alabaster skin was almost shimmering in the strong May sun. A sudden breeze lifted her hair and he was awash in her scent. His throat burned and fueled the memory of last night's kiss and his desires. All of this was gnawing away at his impeccable manners and gentlemanly intentions. _Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy..._

Bella sat into the passenger seat (on the left) relieved that she managed not to (literally) trip over herself. Edward was looking at her eagerly, his eyes black with desire and he (again literally) threw himself on her, continuing right where they left off last night. And she responded right back. _At this rate, we could just go upstairs..._but she remembered the original plan and (once again) managed to push him off. He got the hint and started the car.

After a few minutes of silence where they both gathered themselves, Edward told her about the European leg of the tour, and working on new material. She told him about her work and the new set of experiments she was starting on Monday. She almost forgot how much he knew about biology and it was great to discuss her work with someone other than Tom.

As they were entering Richmond, Edward told her a little about the house, how Carlisle bought it after living in Italy with the 'vampire royalty'. She vaguely remembered hearing about this a long time ago, but before she could ask more, they pulled into a driveway. She was speechless.

"Edward! This is not a house! It's a palace!!"

The house was beautiful. It was 3 floors, built in late Georgian style with large sash windows. It looked like something out of Jane Austen and Bella felt as if Mr Darcy could walk out to greet them at any moment. They walked through the entrance hall, which was dominated by a beautiful central staircase, to the large drawing room in the back that opened to a substantial garden. The house looked traditional on the outside, but on the inside, it was decorated with ultra modern, light furniture. There was a large piano dominating the room with several guitars and amplifiers strewn around the room.

The garden was in the back was worthy of the beautiful house. It was a walled garden with the walls stretching to the river. The walls were covered with a mix of rose bushes and ivy. In the middle of the garden, there were several lounge chairs. Charlie, Vince and John were relaxing on the chairs.

"Hey Bella!" John was the first to jump up and greet her. His ebony skin glittered slightly in the sun. "Wow, you do smell delicious...luckily, we have some blood packs ready..." he gave her a wicked smile and went to the kitchen.

Charlie was very friendly and Bella got talking with him while Vince kept to himself. _So, he's the strong silent type then...._Nevertheless, he actually started the barbeque and drawn by the delicious smell of meat Charlie and Bella gathered round the bbq and the three of them got chatting together. Even Edward and John joined after their own meal and they all just chilled together. Bella was at ease and all of this reminded her of her days with the pack on the rare sunny day in Forks when they could head to the beach.

The afternoon sun was sitting high in the sky and Bella was enjoying the heat. It was nothing like the intense dry heat of Phoenix, but it was very comfortable. She must have drifted off; when she opened her eyes, the band disappeared and it was just the two of them. Edward was stroking her hand absentmindedly while reading a book. _Just a regular couple. Erm, possibly not so regular. Edward's shimmering in the sun...oh well, as regular as it has ever been for me..._

This being London the wind picked up and clouds gathered in the sky. The temperature dropped by 10 degrees in about 5 minutes and they had to get inside. Edward took her upstairs into his room. It was so Edward. Airy, huge windows, masses of CDs and records and a piano in the corner. But this time, a bed. It looked new and unused. _Interesting..._

_"_So, is this bed new?" Bella teased. Edward smiled at her with a raised eyebrow and sat on the bed.

"I would never be so presumptuous to buy one so soon. But I do like to be prepared for all eventualities." His words may have been from another age, but his eyes were undressing her in a very modern fashion. Bella blushed and looked away. _Well, I did ask for it. Time to change the subject!_

"Listen, I have something for you." She glanced over at Edward. "Erm, it's something I've had for quite a while and this was never going to see the light of day, but you know after all the revelations of yesterday, I want you to have it. It's a poem. " Now it was his turn to looked surprised.

"You wrote me a poem? For me?" He was quite taken aback.

"Yes. Here, please read it yourself, I'm too embarrassed." Bella handed him an old notebook that contained many embarrassing secret writings about him. She moved away and stood by the window so she couldn't see his reaction.

Very suddenly he was right behind her, holding her very closely. He was still holding the notebook

"Would you mind reading it to me? Please?" Bella exhaled and took the notebook. She started to read.

_I don't wanna be adored_

_Don't wanna be first in line, or make myself heard_

_I'd like to bring a little light_

_To shine a light on your life, to make you feel loved_

_No, don't wanna be the only one you know_

_I wanna be the place you call home_

_I lay myself down_

_To make it so, but you don't want to know_

_I'd give much more, than I'd ever ask for_

_Will you see me in the end, _

_Or is it just a waste of time trying to be your friend_

_Just shine, shine, shine, shine a little light_

_Shine a light on my life_

_And warm me up again_

_Say a word or two to brighten my day_

_Do you think that you could see your way_

_Fool, I wonder if you know yourself at all_

_You know that it could be so simple_

_I lay myself down_

_To make it so, but you don't want to know_

_I'll give much more that you'd ever ask for_

Bella finished. She was overwhelmed by embarrassment. _This is such teenage crap...I don't think I can look at him now. Why, oh why did I decide to share this? _

"It's beautiful. Bella, look at me." Edward lifted her chin. "But when did you write this?"

Bella looked up reluctantly. He was beaming at her.

"After James. You loathed and blamed yourself so much and I was so petrified you would leave and then you did..."

"Why didn't you get rid of it?"

"Well, it was a confirmation of all my fears. You rejected me, you know. And it was the only thing I had left. You took everything with you. And then, I moved on, the notebook stayed...anyway, listen, we worked through all of this, so I just wanted you to have it. You know, as we are sharing the secrets and I've already heard what you wrote about me..."

Bella was silenced with a deep passionate kiss. The feelings of embarrassment were replaced with something entirely different.

"Better?" he asked wickedly.

"Oh yes..." she answered truthfully. She leaned against him and they stood still for a moment before Edward flashed a glorious smile and dragged her out of the room.

"You must be starving. It's almost 9 and you had lunch hours ago. And, I need to drink again....this blood pack stuff is not really been keeping me sated when around you."

They spent the rest of the evening in the kitchen. Edward cooked for Bella, the guys came back with some beers and everything went back to a regular London Sunday.

* * *

"You have two new messages. To hear your messages, please press one, to repeat..."

Press one.

"_Hey Bella! It's me. I mean, Edward. Erm, just wanted to hear about your day...We're just about to start the gig. Berlin seems to be very excited. Erm...my German is a little rusty, but they like our stuff. Anyway, I'll give you a call before we get on the flight. Erm, I should be in London around 3 am. If you want me to come over, just leave your window unlocked. Erm...Yeah, just a second, be right there. I've got to go. I'll call you back later. I love you Bella!"_

"Message saved. Next new message"

"_Hey Izzy, still in the lab? Wow, you need to get a life.... It's late Izzy, go home! Listen, I am thinking about the weekend and wanted to know if you were up for another gig n Friday? I'm thinking Camden again, there is some sort of unsigned-band-festival thing going on so it may be interesting. There should be a crowd from the department there. And Zoya. My girlfriend! Anyway, let me know. And GO HOME!" _

_"_End of messages. If you want to listen to your...."

Bella hung up. She just finished a long experiment in the lab and once again was the last one to leave. It was just past midnight.

_Edward is probably done by now._

The department was silent. She turned off all the lights in the lab and left the room with the electric hum of various bits of equipment following her as she walked out. Swipe out, sign out, walk out into the balmy London evening. She walked along Goodge Street towards the tube station hoping she would still make the last train and her phone rang. It was Edward.

"Guten Abend Fräulein. Wie geht es Ihnen?" he spoke in a sweet, velvety voice. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Hey there. I don't speak German Edward. But I'll go with...erm....thank you?!?" Bella responded uncertainly and Edward chuckled. It sounded very sweet to hear him laugh. Another beat skipped.

"Close enough. Hey, I'm just getting on a plane so I should be there around three. Do you want me to come over?" He asked uncertainly. And hopefully. At this particular moment he hated it more than ever that he couldn't read Bella's mind. Nearly two weeks passed since he found her again and since that Sunday and the poem.... He was dying to see her (_well not literally, but in every other sense..._).

"Yes!" The response exploded out of Bella with a speed that she was surprised with. She hadn't seen Edward after he dropped her off at her door after their Regular Sunday. The events of that weekend left her dreaming about him every night and her dreams were getting more vivid and in need of censorship. Even though he called to wake her up every day, and talked her to sleep every night, as the days passed, she was increasingly convinced that it had all been a dream. She was dying to see him.

"But, erm, I gotta run now, I'll miss the last tube home." She looked up to the digital display of trains at the entrance of the station. 00:25.

"Oh wait...I just missed it. Damn...Oh well, at least we can talk. If you want." She turned on her heel and started walking to the bus stop. "I hate the night buses." Bella sighed.

"Bus? No, it's not safe Bella, you should take a cab. Or I could get the limo to pick you up." Edward's overly protective attitude was kicking in, as if they were still in Forks and she was still 17.

"Steady Edward, no, no...calm down, central London is perfectly safe. It would be nice if you could talk to me though 'cos you never know when a night bus will come.... When's your flight exactly?" Bella was settling into a nice chat.

"Don't worry about it, it's flexible"

"What do you mean flexible? Anyway I wasn't aware that flights left this late..." Bella was confused.

"Erm, it's a private jet. I wanted to get back as soon as possible, the other guys are staying behind so...I'm...erm... renting a private jet." Edward explained.

Bella shook her head in disbelief. It was still really odd to comprehend that money was truly no object for someone and that renting a private jet last minute could be just as easy as renting a car. The advantage of long-term investments and a sister that can see the future...

"Oh! OK....so..erm... which airport are you landing at?" She tried to sound casual.

"City, you know the one in Docklands? It's the closest to Central London. It should take only about 10 minutes to your apartment from there." In reality, it took at least 30 minutes by tube/bus or even car to get hers, but she suspected that he may run that. And given his speed, 10 minutes sounded about right.

"Ha! My bus is here. That's lucky. Well, you should go then, so you get here faster!" Bella struggled to contain her excitement about seeing him again.

"Are you sure? OK, I'm gone. Be careful please." Edward couldn't help himself. But as he was saying goodbye a warm glow of warmth and happiness was growing in his heart. _She wants to see me..._

*****

Bella was so excited when she got back to her apartment that she couldn't sit still. She had some chamomile tea in a vain attempt to relax. And even some herbal pills claiming to 'soothe and relax'. All without success. She kept checking whether the window was open so Edward wouldn't be stuck outside. Of course, she could let him in through the door, but she really wasn't ready to answer questions from Anna and particularly not Tom, about Edward. She didn't say anything to them except that they caught up and he left for the tour (she definitely did not mention Sunday). They just about accepted her story, and hadn't asked any questions. Bella and Edward still needed a bit of time to figure things out without anyone butting in.

2.17 am. She was finally in bed and trying to relax enough to get to sleep. No chance...Still, she closed her eyes and lay in bed thinking. Edward's glorious face hovered in front of her. She forced her thoughts away from him.

_I wonder why Alice hasn't been in touch yet...I wonder whether she saw any of this...would she have told anything to Edward? He wasn't around to read her mind..._

_*****_

Edward ran as fast as he could in the confines of London's roads. He was almost there and his excitement of seeing Bella again was growing with every step. He was exhilarated. Talking to her earlier that evening completely dissolved any remnants of doubt that he wants to be with her completely and to finally give in to his desires. He was only a couple of streets away and he decided to slow down to a walk to compose himself and also to avoid being spotted by a passer-by and mistaken for a ghostly apparition. However his plan didn't quite work as intended. As he approached the final corner he caught her scent and his desires were further inflamed.

_Burning...sweet scent...mia cantante...alabaster skin, chestnut eyes, delicate neck and her BLOOD...I want her so much.,,_

_*****_

3.02 Nothing. She still could not relax enough to sleep. Again she attempted to get Edward's image out of her head.

_I wonder what Rosalie and Emmett are up to? Would she ever like me? Be nice to me? It would be so nice to see Carlisle and Esme...and Jasper? Could he be around me? It's been a few years, he may be fully in control by now.....Edward's cool lips kissing mine his cool touch on my skin. Edward's hand gliding down my face, touching my lips, down my neck his cool lips following the same path. Kissing my neck and then working down my collar bones and touching my bre..._

Bella gasped and realised that she wasn't dreaming and that Edward was lying next to her, exploring her body with his lips and gently stroking her all over. His eyes were pitch black and he was breathing heavily taking in her scent. Bella was burning up.

"Hello..." He whispered between two long kisses. Bella's body responded in anticipation of more to come but she struggled to talk. It was her turn. She kissed Edward and started to pull of his shirt and kissed his bare chest. He took a sharp breath and at that moment finally letting go of any remaining inhibitions. In what seemed like a microsecond, they were both lying naked exploring each other in ways they never had before. Bella was shivering with desire. Through the fog of passion, Bella heard Edward whisper.

"I love you Bella, I want you so much, I want you now..." and then without thinking she heard herself responding.

"I love you Edward, I love you... I want you..."

And then it happened. They were rocking in throes of passion. At first urgently and then more slowly. Edward slowed right down and kissed Bella very lightly. Bella moaned with pleasure, still not quite sure this wasn't yet another VERY vivid dream.

"Look at me Bella..." he whispered very softly. She complied and he smiled his most glorious smile and continued caressing her. She really struggled to listen...

"I will never, ever leave you again, without you there's nothing, you are my life, I love you so much" and with that they continued to move more urgently until they lay satisfied holding each other.

Bella looked over to Edward. He lay very still with his eyes closed. He looked relaxed.

She certainly was...In disbelief that she just made love to Edward Cullen...but she was more relaxed and at peace than she ever felt. When they first met, she fell so violently in love with Edward that every moment she felt as if she had to gasp for breath. And then she literally was, when Edward left. Her time with Jake was sweet and happy and content, but she never really got over the loss of her first love. And now with Edward back in her life, she felt complete. She allowed all of that violent love back into her heart, but the in the years it was locked away, her love had matured and mellowed. And now it was gentle and warm.

Edward turned to face her and smiled. Bella knew something was coming as he started to fidget.

"Bella...my love..." he started uncertainly, almost bashfully "you know, I meant it. Everything I said. I never want to leave you. Ever again. I was broken without you. I left you so foolishly. Now I found you again, and you've grown into this amazing woman and I just can't. Ever...." he was getting a bit excited. Bella was amused seeing all of this. His face was riddled with doubt.

"Do...do you want me?" Edward asked uncertainly.

"Well, I thought it was pretty obvious I more than wanted you..." Bella started playfully, carefully avoiding the actual question.

Of course she wanted him. That wasn't the point.

She wanted him since the moment she laid eyes on him in the cafeteria all those years ago. But, you know the saying _Once burned, twice shy..._she was a little more sober about her feelings now, and quite scared of the idea of actually having her girly, naive dreams come true. She could quite literally live with the ideal man of her dreams by her side for the rest of her life. She could sense all the old doubts coming back as well - about her aging, while a perfect Edward lived along side her.

And wanting to be a vampire? She was once s sure she wanted to be exactly like him, the same age, never changing... she was no longer convinced about all that. However, one thing she would certainly do for the rest of her life is have a very satisfying sex life. The memory of their passion started a new spark of desire and she looked at him with what she hoped was smouldering.

Edward still looked a bit uncertain, but continued on.

"Oh, well, yes I mean, erm... that was.. amazing...and I...I would like to make love to you, many, many more times, in fact, for as long as you want me.... " He smouldered at her. With success. And the spark of desire she felt earlier was now became a full-blown inferno. "So, if you do want me around, I wanted to ask you.....Isabella Swan, will you marry me?"

Bella snorted with laughter.

"What?"

Edward looked puzzled and turned away. If it were physically possible for him to blush, he would be blushing. Bella was amazed. And then it hit her! Oh. My. God! She stopped laughing, pulled Edward to her and caressed his beautiful, confused face.

"Edward sweetie, this was your first time, wasn't it?" She asked starting to realise the magnitude and importance of what just happened for him. He was a 116 year-old virgin. Who's never been in love until they had met, and lived along side his coven with their (quite literally) undying love and endless carnal pleasure. And let's not forget that he was from a different time...

Edward once again looked away and said nothing. He was definitely brooding and embarrassed. He was looking for validation. _You can turn a boy into a strong, scary vampire, but you can never take the boy out ...._

"Edward, honey, what we just experienced, was amazing! It is exactly what I had been dreaming about when I met you, and what you were so afraid of then. I had the most wonderful time. And I want to have that again. And again. I want you. To stay. To be with me."

Edward's eyes lit up and he smiled his most glorious smile.

"So, you will marry me?" It was now Bella's turn to look away_. How the tables have turned... It's all a bit much..._

"Sweetie, can't we just date? Like any other normal couple? I know this is the biggest deal for you and believe me, it's a massive deal for me. But I am no longer that little, crazed 17-year old, who would have given her life to be with you. You wanted me to be a woman and I am. I am my own person, independent. I want you to be a part of my life and would love if you could stay with me, but marry you? I mean we're in the 21st century, this is not 1918. If you want to lead a normal life with me, then that's what people do. Date. See how things go. Then they move in and then, maybe, marry. If they want to. You know - modern life."

Edward looked a little shell-shocked with her words, but was contemplating what Bella said. He went into his quiet mode. Bella could see a variety of emotions pass over his face but it all took a while and she started drifting off. He suddenly moved and smiled.

"Well, as long as I am with you, I don't really care. Modern life it is." Edward kissed her gently. Bella smiled and fell into deep sleep. Edward snuggled behind her and held her close.

******

Edward sat on the windowsill and looked out to the quiet street. He was humming a tune, something that's been bugging him for a few days and just relaxed. The urgency and tension caused by his passion for Bella was gone. He felt sated. _As if I've drained several people at once...gorging myself..._ There was an aftertaste of venom in his mouth. He practically drooled it while they were making love. It was a funny feeling. Consuming his desire for Bella sexually removed the temptation of draining her. Temporarily. _Like having methadone instead of heroin..._

His ego and his moral beliefs were both slightly bruised from the rejected proposal. But he also understood Bella and loved her even more for it. One thing he didn't mention to her was that being married would make things a lot easier when the Volturi come knocking. _It's only a matter of time. _

During their performance in Milan, Edward definitely sensed other vampires in the audience, but he didn't recognise them. _Obviously, they are not worried enough to send Dimitri. Yet..._

And there was the small matter of his promise to Carlisle that he would call him, as soon as the Volturi get too interested in the band. _Not yet. I don't have any evidence. Just a hunch...and now with Bella back in the picture, I'm sure they would find her quirk more than mildly interesting._

Bella stirred in her sleep and mumbled something about experiments. Edward smiled and went back to bed. He spent the rest of the night holding her. He pushed his thoughts of Volturi to the back of his mind and enjoyed his first, truly relaxed night in a century.

**the poem that Bella wrote for Edward was adapted from the lyrics of "Hamburg Song" by Keane. **

**The sentence in German = Good Evening Miss, How are you?  
**


	15. There may be trouble ahead

**There may be trouble ahead**

Bella walked to work with a giant coffee from her local cafe. And a giant grin on her face. It was a lovely sunny day in London again. It was June and the short summer was soon to start - or so the locals convinced her. And she was happy. Absolutely exhausted, but happy. And quite late to work.

"Oi! Izzy!" Tom shouted. She turned around and saw him as he pulled up his bicycle to her. He got off. "So, you did actually go home last night! Good. Obviously pretty late though...." Tom smiled at pointed at her vat of coffee.

"Yup, yes, sorry, it was too late to call you back. So, this weekend?" Bella responded, squinting at Tom as the sun shone brightly.

"Yes! You up for it? Anna and Mark are coming and some other people said they would come."

"Erm, yeah, I am actually. And...Can I bring Edward?" Bella stared at her coffee and waited for the tornado. But it came more as an interview.

"Edward Mason? Well, well, well... So, I was right. You guys had something..." He was searching her eyes. Bella just smiled at him. "Well, you've kept quiet for two weeks, not a peep about the whole thing to your old mate Tom. Or Anna. Spill." Tom demanded.

"Well..." Bella looked over at Tom. She did owe him an explanation and now that she was more certain about what Edward and her were and where it all may be going she was happier to talk about it.

"OK, so you're right. Edward and I have a history. A complicated one and not really very happy. I don't want to go into details, but when I was 17 I fell in love with him. Violently. We had several blissful months together and then he left. I was totally destroyed and convinced he never loved me... I kinda acted out, went a bit wild...and it took me quite some time to get over it. I shut everyone out..." Bella just let the words flow out of her. This was the first time she actually told this to someone who wasn't there at the time. Tom listened with concern and started to ask her something.

"Oh, and before you ask, yes, there was another bad break-up. The one everyone is whispering about. But that's a whole different story. And that one I am NOT going into." Bella stopped Tom, who just exhaled and continued listening.

"Anyway, I moved over here 'cos I had to get away from the recent drama and Seattle. I hadn't heard or seen Edward since he left all those years ago. Didn't know anything about him, so seeing him on stage was a shock. In a good way, which was a surprise to me.... We got talking, it turns out I was stupid, he was stupid. We were both very much into each other. So in the last two weeks, we just reconnected. And here we are...Oh, boy, are we here..." Bella whispered the last part, but Tom still heard her and smiled wickedly. She blushed and looked away. Tom hugged her.

"Wow Izzy, thanks for sharing. It sounds like a roller-coaster.... quite a lot of drama for a girl of 22! You know, I never felt right asking you, so I really appreciate you telling me." He gave her a gentle squeeze. They walked towards their building and he parked his bike. And then he snorted with laughter. She looked at him quizzically.

"I'm sorry, I still can't believe that you're shagging Edward MASEN!!!!" Bella hit him over the shoulder.

"Keep it down Fowler! And it's so much more than that! And he's just a regular guy you know!" _Well, regular enough..._"Seriously man, on Friday, keep it together. OK?"

"Sorry...sorry, OK, yes, OK...I'll keep it together Bella. Bella. Bella." He kept repeating. "Now that you've given me the potted history, I guess I know why he called you that. Is that what you used to be known as?" Tom asked as they walked up to their office. Bella was signing in.

"Yes, Bella Swan. But, I wouldn't want you to call me anything else but Izzy..." And with that she walked in the direction of the lab to check on her experiment from last night.

Her experiment checked, she was back in the office with coffee No 2 of the morning. Her phone buzzed and she saw text message from Edward.

_Still tingling with the memory of last night. Can I pick you up? Love you. E_

Bella started tingling herself, and took a massive slurp of coffee to shake it off. And started focusing on the latest scientific paper she was supposed to review for the PhD student journal club. And logged in to catch up on personal emails. There was 48 hours worth of emails that consisted of junk, ads, Renee and an email from Jake. She remembered how only a few weeks ago she barely brought herself to open his message and how much it hurt her. She felt completely different. Maybe a little pissed at him, but certainly not teary. She opened it quickly.

_Hey Bells,_

_Thank you for responding to me. It must have been difficult after your talk with Edward. All I can say is I am sorry to have lied to you. There is no excuse beyond wanting to keep you happy and protecting you from the pain that you felt before. And a healthy dose of selfishness. I am sorry. I do hope we can be friends again. _

_As I write this to you, there is trouble brewing in Forks. I need your help and it's urgent. REALLY urgent!!!! Some new vampires we've never come across came through the area. They seem to be looking for the Cullens. They left a message for them on their door. Something about keeping things secret. We followed their scent east, but they disappeared. They smelled like trouble. I must get in touch with the Cullens, but no-one has their contact details. You're my only hope. I need Edward to call me. Or Sam. _

_I know I have little right to ask you for a favour, but we are stuck and Forks and La Push may be in danger and that is my priority. _

_Please give Edward my number and please call ASAP._

_I'm sorry for dragging you into this. _

_Jake_

Bella stared at the message. The tingling of pleasure was replaced by tingling of dread spreading down her back. She immediately picked up her phone and called Edward.

"My beauty calls so early? When can I see you?" Edward spoke with his most velvety, seductive voice. The tingling was now a confused mix of dread and pleasure. _It always seems to be like that around supernaturals_.

"Erm, well, soonish. Edward, there's trouble in Forks. I just got an email from Jake. There seems to be some kind of message for your family at your house. It sounded serious. He asked if you could call him." Bella summarised.

"What was the message?" Edward asked very calmly, like liquid ice. Bella was a bit surprised as she expected expletives and anger. _This must be serious..._

"Something about keeping things secret. That's all I know, but the message sounded very serious. The pack is clearly very worried. And desperate. To get in touch with you, through me. Jake must have told them about my email."

"And why are you emailing that filthy dog?" Edward couldn't keep his animosity under control.

"He wrote me before I saw you and I responded. Told him about seeing you. About his lies. It was not a friendly, cuddly email. Trust me. They are desperate. So, will you call?"

"Yes. I need to know exactly what's happening. And I'll need to get in touch with Carlisle. Do you have Sam's number?"

"Not here, no. But I do remember Jake's number. I'm afraid you'll have to call him. I'm surprised you hadn't kept his number in your favourites list from hunting Victoria..."

Bella just couldn't help herself. Edward sniggered, but at least it broke the tension of the moment. She dictated Jake's number.

"Bella, sweetheart, this could be serious. I'll talk to them immediately, and I'll call you as soon as I know something. Keep your phone on you."

And he was gone. Bella spent the rest of the day in the lab continuing with her long experiment. After the initial struggle, she focused on her work and forgot all about the troublesome morning.

*******************

Edward looked at the number Bella dictated a few moments ago sitting very still.

_It's Dimitri. I guess Aro wants to teach me a lesson... I really need to get to them before they get to me and Bella. OK, so I have to call the insolent pup. How very frustrating. _

He dialled the number quickly and waited for an answer. He knew full well that it was the middle of the night in Forks, but Jacob did say urgent. The phone rang off. Edward called again. It rang off again. _Third time lucky?_ No. He sent a text message identifying himself and then called Carlisle.

"Carlisle, there's trouble. I think the Volturi are unhappy with me." He said immediately. Vampire communication was really simple as they felt no need to embellish their language. Straight to the point.

"Hello son. What makes you think that?" Carlisle asked in his calm manner.

Edward explained what he knew of Forks, what happened at the Milan gig and his fears for Bella.

"Edward, give me Jacob's number. I will call him and find out the details. We'll take it from there. Oh wait, Alice wants to talk to you. I'll call you as soon as I have something son. Say hello to Bella for me. You know, we're all so happy for you."

Carlisle finished warmly. He was very happy to hear the transformation in his favourite son after so many years of yearning. And he was determined to get the Volturi off Edward's case.

"Edward!" Alice said in her urgent tone, but then stayed quiet and let her brother take her thoughts out directly. She wasn't ready to share her vision with everyone. But Edward needed to see it.

_Cullen house in Forks. Aro with Jane standing next to him. Edward incapacitated in pain and Aro touching Bella. Aro realising he couldn't read Bella's mind and demanding she be turned into a vampire to harvest this ability. _

"Ah! No!...we can't let them see Bella." Edward whispered so softly that only Alice could pick it up across the phone line.

"No, don't do anything just now Edward." Alice whispered back." I'll call you later."

He hung up and was getting agitated. And then his phone rang. It was Jacob.

"Hello Jacob." Edward stayed civil even though it pained him.

"Hello Edward, thank you for calling me." Jake tried his hardest to stay civil.

"Well, there was little choice. What was the exact message you found? Do not miss a detail of it....Please." Edward struggled with the civility.

"It said, quote, the secret is sacred. Unquote. And there was a signature. Letter V. It was all written in a spidery writing. On your door. We picked up several scents. They headed east. In a car, I think. We lost their scent pretty quickly out of Forks. Does any of this make any sense to you?" Jake asked Edward with concern.

"Hm. Yes, I think so, but I need to talk to Carlisle again." Edward did not want to go into details about vampire rules with his least favourite person in the world. But this was his doing and he should be courteous.

"Thanks Jacob, I'll get Carlisle to get in touch with Sam. Can you give me his number?" Edward asked as politely as he could.

"What? That's it? No explanation? You bring trouble to Forks, AGAIN, and I don't get a peep from you?" Jake burst out angrily.

"Listen DOG, I don't owe you any explanations. I'll deal with this and Sam will be kept informed. And you'll follow his lead like a good little doggie." Edward responded in much the same way. And he loved to taunt the dog.

"Listen Leech, this better not be about your little vanity project! I'm fed up with cleaning your mess, while you're prancing around a stage!" Jake growled down the phone.

"Jake, that's enough! Hand over the phone." Edward could hear Sam in the background.

"Edward, I'll expect an explanation by Carlisle ASAP. And you two will need to learn to get along like best friends. I'm fed up with the cock fighting!" The line went dead. Sam hung up. Edward was seething with anger. And this was partially at himself for allowing this to happen. He quickly called Carlisle again and passed on the message, strategically omitting the outbursts between him and Jacob. Carlisle told him he would deal with this and Edward felt a little calmer, if not any less guilty.

_But, I haven't disclosed anything about being a vampire. We've been very careful with the blood packs...why would they object? _

*********

Sam slammed down the phone.

"JAKE, I am SO done with your fighting for Bella with this guy. You've imprinted on Logan. Let it go! Focus on what's important! We need to figure this out and deal with it. And there is NO time for your little playground disputes. Bella is OUT of your life and quite frankly, they can do whatever the hell they want. The treaty is no longer valid, he's not in La Push and if Bella's willing..." Sam was very angry. His normally calm demeanour was gone as he exploded. Jake sat quietly, taking it all. _Sam's right, but the stuff about Bella being a Leech..._

"That is not true! The treaty may be temporarily suspended, but I will NOT allow her to become one of them!" it was Jake's turn to shout. Again, his alpha genes were stirring.

Sam stared at Jake and collected himself. He didn't want the pack splitting and he could feel the rebellion in Jacob. It was time to bring things down a notch.

"Jake, of course I don't want to give up a life to the leeches. But you gotta let Bella go. She's not your worry any more. And she's a grown woman..."

Jake looked at Sam and nodded. _He's right. I have no claim on her anymore. Let's hope it never comes to her being one of them..._

"We'll wait for Carlisle to get in touch. And then we'll deal with this. OK. Go see Logan, spend some time with her. The way this is going, you may not see her much for a while..."

Jake nodded and stood up. Just the notion of not seeing Logan for more than a day gave him extreme anxiety. And physical pain. He phased quickly and ran to his destined one.

**********

Edward called Bella. She wasn't answering. _Damn it, Bella, why don't you have your phone on? _

He wanted to see her as soon as possible. It was only 2pm and he knew she had at least two more hours work on her experiment. The sun was still shining happily (and unusually for London) so he could not go and pay her a surprise visit without causing even more problems.

_Come on sweetheart, answer the phone._

He called again. This time he got lucky.

"Hey, sorry, I was just finishing my presentation. Everything OK?" Bella asked apologetically.

"Hey!" He exhaled with relief. "Yes, everything is fine, but I'd really like to see you as soon as possible. Any chance you can get off early? I could come to pick you up, but I won't be able to leave the car. Sunshine..." He pleaded.

"Erm....yes, I guess. Tom owes me big, so I can ask him to finish my experiment. You sure you want to come? Traffic is really bad. Easier if we met at mine..." Bella wasn't convinced with him being calm and suspected he was going into protective overdrive.

"This way I get to see you sooner as I can leave now!" Edward persisted with the smoothest velvety voice he could conjure. He knew he wasn't playing fair, but she was anxious to get Bella by his side. He could sense Bella hesitating and finally accepting.

"Oh, OK, come and pick me up. But you can't say I didn't warn you about the traffic."

"Bella, all I have is time, so don't worry about it. And besides, I get to deal with London traffic with you by my side. See you in 20 minutes." By this point he was already in the car driving north to Bella's lab in central London.

Bella's insides melted a little even though she suspected Edward was just being super protective. She shook her head and went to see Tom to cash in on the lab-slave-forever favour he promised.


	16. Trouble

**There is some text written in Italian. For translations look at the bottom of the chapter**

**Trouble unfolding**

Carlisle sat silently in his office contemplating what to do next. Having finished his call to Sam, he needed to consider carefully how he would proceed with the Volturi.

He liked Sam. Sam took the information about Volturi and the rules of the vampire world very calmly and didn't lose his temper, like so many of the shape-shifters could (_they are such young and passionate creatures_). Sam did however express his displeasure of the Cullen affairs causing issues in La Push and he insisted this should be dealt with immediately. He also stated that he considered the treaty no longer valid but that they would secure safe passage to the Cullens to deal with the situation in Forks. If they had to come back. Reading between the lines Carlisle realised that Sam would much prefer they didn't. Carlisle explained that he would do everything in his power to resolve things quickly and remotely.

And here he was. Still working out the best approach. He knew how fickle Aro was. He also knew that once he decided on an action, it would be difficult for Carlisle to dissuade him from that course. Even though Aro still had a soft spot for Carlisle. He may not understand Carlisle's choice, but as a collector of curiosities, he certainly admired him for his abilities and persistence. And Aro coveted Edward and Alice. Any excuse to get them. And that's why Carlisle was thinking so carefully about his next step.

He finally picked up the phone and called the special Volturi line. Direct to Aro. As far as Carlisle knew only a chosen few had that line and Aro gave it to Carlisle in the persistent hope that his family would convert.

_He hates talking on the phone. Desperate times..._

The phone rang once.

"Pronto" Aro answered in his most disinterested voice. He hated these modern contraptions. _Lack of personal touch. One can never tell what the other person is thinking. _

But this call was a necessity.

"Aro, it's Carlisle Cullen." Carlisle started in a calm manner.

"Lo so, carissimo mio. É la tua linea specialle. Carlisle, amico mio, come stai? We haven't spoken in years, my dearest friend. I would like to think this is a social call, but I know better. So I guess my message reached you." Aro always liked to embellish conversations, but there was a limit to what a vampire can do about being direct.

"Yes. We did. I was surprised at you Aro. I'm sure you know our routine. We leave after a few years." Carlisle continued calmly. He needed to be careful as Aro's moods changed easily.

"Si, si. Ma questa é una situazione complicata. It's complicated, Carlisle. I have been keeping a close watch on your family for years, you know that. And I still hope you would come back into my fold, caro mio. And bring Edward and Alice under my wing. To expand our magnificent family..." He finished elated. He paused for a moment and continued matter-of-factly.

"Anyway, we've been following you with great interest. Particularly as you seemed to have some serious issues with rogue vampires in Seattle." Aro continued. Carlisle listened very carefully.

"When the situation developed in Seattle, we monitored it. Obviously. So you can imagine my surprise when we came to realise that it was all about revenge on your wonderful Edward over a human. A human! What a shock that was. But furthermore, Carlisle, your family co-operating with the filthy shape-shifting dogs!!!!" Aro lost his composure for a split second and then he continued as if lost in thought.

"What a pity, Victoria was such a powerful hunter...But law is law. Well I did let Edward's indiscretion slide..."

Carlisle listened patiently, growing ever more nervous about what was coming next.

"Anyway, Edward seemed to have lost interest in the human and he focused on his new ward John. And that was good news."

"Yes, John is a very bright and good young man Aro. He has been a great companion for Edward." Carlisle intercepted. He grew to love John as much as his other children even though he spent little time with him. But John had been key in Edward's recovery after Bella. And for that Carlisle was grateful. _And John took to the family beliefs and lifestyle so easily_.

"Yes..." Aro said in a manner that made Carlisle sit up.

"That may be so, mio carino, and a very talented one. We have followed the progress of the Firefly with great interest. Edward has done so very well. I am so happy to see that he's decided to share his musical talent with the world." Aro sounded pleased.

At that moment, a sense of dread spread through Carlisle. _So it isn't about the band. What is going on? What do they want with us? _

"But you see Carlisle, your family's values and code of practice are so difficult to follow. And for such a young vampire..." Aro said tantalisingly.

"What are you saying Aro? Is this all about John? What is happening?" Carlisle could no longer keep his calm and asked urgently.

"I am quite shocked that Edward had not realised what was going on. But he did seem preoccupied with a human for the last few weeks. The same one as before I'm informed. Bella Swan of Forks, Washington. Really, I am too soft on him." Aro finished coldly. Menace exuded from his tone. Carlisle stood up and was thinking frantically. Alice burst into his office looking very worried. He signalled her not to speak. She waited anxiously staring at Carlisle.

"Aro, please tell me what this is about. I can reassure you that I am not aware of any of my family breaking any laws. You know that I always deal with any problems discretely. If I am aware of them. What is going on?" Carlisle demanded. Aro started humming a tune and seemed to lose interest. Carlisle had to appease Aro.

"Dimmi per favore, amico caro" Carlisle said quietly. It seemed to do the trick.

"Well, Edward must be very, very preoccupied if he couldn't pick up on this. Mio carissimo, John has started killing. Badly. You see, he never received proper training. It's sloppy and obvious. He does seem to have some talent though.... But, I'm afraid, he needs to be dealt with." Aro finished.

"Let us deal with this, Aro. No need to for you to leave Volterra. I know how you hate to travel. Call Dimitri off and I'll get this dealt with quietly and immediately." Carlisle pleaded.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, carino. Dimitri is on his way to deal with it already. In fact he's been following the band for the last few months. That's how we know about the little human. Edward does seem quite in love. Personally, I don't understand the fascination, but as far as I am concerned he has broken no laws. " Aro said and Carlisle felt relieved. But only for a second.

"But, as John is under Edward's care, I'm afraid both of them have to be brought to justice. And I would love to meet this Bella." Aro stated.

"Besides, I have business to attend in Louisiana. It seems that your southern brethren are also having difficulty keeping a low profile. Some of them have opened a vampire themed bar! Can you imagine? Well, I'm either going to have to close it down or at least share in the profits. I grow so tired of Volterra. I haven't left Italy in a century! Anyway - we'll meet you in Forks in 4 days. At your house. That should give you enough time to get ready for the trial. Dimitri will take care of getting Edward and John to Seattle."

Carlisle realised that the conversation was finished. He tried one last time.

"Aro, please let me bring my son there. Edward has done no wrong. Take John if you have to, but please let Edward come on his own accord. He needs to know what he's in for."

"No, no, carino, non é possibile. Ci vediamo a Forks." Aro hung up.

Carlisle was in a state of shock. Alice stared at him in disbelief. Images flashed through her head of what was to pass. She was now desperately sorry not to have said anything to Carlisle about her earlier visions.

"Carlisle, why is John on trial? What happened?" She asked. Like so many times she was frustrated with the nature of her gift. And like Edward she had been preoccupied with Bella recently, so she hadn't seen anything about John. But now she saw a trial for Edward and John at the house in Forks, Bella being examined, Aro fascinated by her gift and insisting she was turned. She also had many gaps in her visions. She assumed that meant that they would once again work with the stinking dogs.

Most of all she was frustrated Carlisle couldn't just read her mind and understand immediately. She looked at her father anxiously. Carlisle was clearly thinking of what to do next. She had to control her impatience and wait for him to speak.

When he finally spoke and explained the situation, it was clear that they needed to inform Edward immediately and they needed to gather the family and get to Forks.

"Alice call Edward and let him see what you see. And then go ahead with Jasper. Esme, my darling, get a hold of Rosalie and Emmett and please call Tanya. I need to call Sam and explain what we're all in for." Carlisle was giving instructions calmly. Alice practically ran out of the room and called Edward.

"If we only lose John, we've done well. But I'm afraid that we may lose a lot more than that." Carlisle said to his wife. What he was facing was losing the life he built over centuries and everything that mattered to him in his long existence.

*******

Edward was driving through London. Slowly. Very slowly. The traffic was hideous, but he was on his way to Bella and he felt calmer already. And his mood improved by the fact the weather turned from sunny and warm to gray, which meant he would be able to get out of the car to meet Bella. _When I finally get there._ It had taken him twice the time he expected to get to Trafalgar Square. But now he was tantalisingly close, only about a mile away on Trafalgar Square. His cell phone rang. It was Alice.

"Alice?" He answered. She didn't say anything but the next moment her thoughts flooded his mind like a torrent. John, Dimitri, Bella, Forks, trial, Aro. He felt as if someone had ripped his guts out.

_John? killing? When? How? Am I so completely obsessed with Bella that I didn't pay attention to anything else? Or was John really careful not to think about what he was doing around me?_

And then he saw one that made him really worried. John talking to Bella and Tom in front of the Institute. And to top that Alice's vision had changed from earlier in the day and it was a lot more worrying. In all likelihood, John would be killed, Edward would be made to join the Volturi unless Bella was turned and at this moment, he didn't see any way out of it.

"I need to get to Bella. I'll call you when I have her. We'll get on a plane and get to Seattle tonight." He hung up.

The pain of betrayal spread through him. He was sorely tempted to leave his car and run and get to Bella in about 30 seconds. But etiquette forbids it, so he sat on Charing Cross Road and moved at about 5 miles per hour. He tried her phone several times, but she wasn't answering. _Com'on, Com'on, Com'on. _

He finally saw his chance. He saw a brief break in the traffic and cut into the bus lane. Right now he could not care less about being stopped, fines, or traffic rules. He also sped through the red light at the crossing with Oxford Street and was now speeding through Tottenham Court Road. And was still trying to get through to Bella. She finally picked up.

"Bella! Are you OK?" He asked urgently.

"Hey, you finally here? I told you it would take forever...yes, I'm fine. I'm in front of the building, talking with John and Tom. I guess John got here early?" Bella asked.

She sounded relaxed as if she'd forgotten the trouble. Every muscle in Edward's body tightened. _She thinks I sent him... Oh please don't let Dimitri see them together...and Tom? Great, one more person to worry about..._

"Yes, I'm around the corner. Erm ... sweetheart we need to leave immediately. Say goodbye to Tom. We're going to Seattle." He tried to sound calm but his tension burst through.

Bella was trying to hide the shock of what she heard. John was still chatting away with Tom, but he probably heard what Edward said. She saw Edward's car come around the corner and the next second everything went a bit mad.

A huge guy in black leathers walked up to them and grabbed John. He was a vampire. Another smaller vampire walked to Bella and was about to grab her arm when Edward was suddenly in front of her growling a low guttural noise. The vampire simply stated in a heavily accented English.

"Edward Cullen, we were sent her by the Aro, Caius and Marcus of the Volturi Coven, the masters of Volterra to take you and your human to the trial of John Cullen at the Cullen residence in Forks, Washington. Your father has been informed. Do you come willingly?" the vampire finished. Bella observed Edward, who was deep in thought and the next moment he was holding her in his arms and nodded.

"Hi Dimitri. It's been such a long time...Bella is my betrothed and she is under my protection. This is her friend who is unaware of our business. Please let him go." Edward stated. Dimitri looked at Edward without any reaction.

"Not as long as you think Edward. Aro specifically asked that I bring everyone in your company including the humans. The boy comes with us. Do you come willingly?" he repeated the question.

"I do, but remember that both humans are under my protection. I am sure Aro would be displeased should any protocol be ignored." Bella heard him say and only then she realised that Edward was holding Tom's speechless figure. Tom was pale and in state of shock. He stood limply and Edward was pretty much the only thing holding him up.

_Oh my God. Tom! What have I got you into to? _

At this moment, the words of the vampire finally penetrated her mind. _Trial of John Cullen? What for? WHAT the HELL is going on? _

But she couldn't ask. The dread was now in full force and she felt her body tingling with adrenaline that the fear had caused.

_What about my passport? And Tom's? How would we clear passport control in the US? _

That was the first thought that she had as the very flash limousine (_figures...)_ drove them to Heathrow.

********

Tom was sitting in the back of a limousine with John Scott and Edward Masen of the Firefly and Izzy Swan, his best mate. On any other day this would be his dream scenario. But this was all wrong. Something beyond weird was going on. Everyone was sitting silently. John seemed to have been handcuffed to the seat and was looking at his feet. Edward looked very tense, glaring at John as if he was going to pounce on him. But he still held Izzy closely and stroked her hair. Izzy looked worried.

_I think I am being kidnapped. But who by? Mafia? Competition? Why did I have to come? What do they think I know? The latest lyrics from one of their songs? That guy mentioned a trial of John Cullen? Who the hell is John Cullen? Do they mean John Scott? And they called Edward - Edward Cullen. Is it like a clan thing? They certainly do not look related. And they kept saying human, human. As if they were something else. _

So he finally recovered enough to ask.

"Edward, would you mind telling me what the HELL is going on? And where are we going?"

Edward looked up at him while still stroking Izzy's hair. He closed his eyes and spoke softly.

"Tom, I am so sorry that you got caught up in this. You shouldn't be here. However, there is now no way out of this. We are going to Seattle." Edward stopped and then he turned to Izzy.

"Sweetheart, I am sorry to do this to you. Again. Do you want to tell Tom?" Edward kissed Izzy gently. Izzy, Bella - (_whatever!)_ exhaled and then sat next to Tom.

"Tom, there are some things I omitted to tell you about my past. I know I said Edward was a regular guy, but he's a little different than us. Erm...Edward...erm....Edward and John are vampires." She paused to let this sink in. Tom stared at her and seemed to take it in. But then he burst out laughing and just giggled.

"Vampires? Like Dracula? Oh that's a good one Izzy. Haha hahaha... And I guess they drink the blood of maidens at night and turn into bats? Oh wait, shouldn't they be sleeping in a coffin somewhere?...Oh come on - what are we doing here? What the hell? So we're going to Seattle. To a gig? And John has been hand cuffed for dramatic effect? Hahahahahahahaha..." Tom actually doubled over with laughter. All the tension of the last hour broke and he could not help himself.

Bella looked over at Edward and sat back next to him. They let Tom calm down.

When his final giggles subsided, he looked over at Izzy. She looked anxious. Edward sat next to Tom and grabbed his hand. His skin was icy cold. Tom gasped and looked at Edward who was completely focused on Tom with a look he hadn't seen before. Tom started feeling very uncomfortable. He felt like dinner. Edward smiled and spoke with a smooth, velvety voice.

"Tom, my name is Edward Cullen. I was born Edward Masen in 1901. I was dying of Spanish influenza and Carlisle Cullen, who was my doctor, turned me into a vampire according to my mother's dying wish. My family and I do not live off blood of humans. As far as the myths about vampires, they are mostly untrue. So we don't have fangs, but we have very sharp teeth. We can walk in the daylight. We do not sleep. But we are very fast and strong. We do not turn into bats. Some of us do have special powers. Like me, I can read your mind. Right now I can tell you that you are worried about missing dinner with your mother Jane and your sister Lucy tonight at your parents' house in Chiswick. And yes, my skin is like marble. And it's just as tough."

Edward finished and let go of Tom's hand. Tom's head was abuzz with all the information. Edward tried to read his reaction but right now all he was getting was a word for word replay of what he just said. Tom was pale and he looked as if he might throw up. Bella sat next to him.

"Fowler, you OK?"

Tom looked at Izzy and saw her lips move but he didn't hear a thing. He felt sick. If all of this is true then, he actually seems to be in a lot of trouble. And then as if he read his mind (_which he probably did)_ Edward spoke again.

"John will be tried by the royalty of our kind. Volturi. He has broken a key law of our society - not to expose vampires. He also betrayed my family... betrayed me..." Edward looked pained.

"It would seem that John decided not to keep my family's code and he started feeding on humans. Which is obviously not a crime for a vampire to do. Except, he did it badly and publicly. Risking exposure of our race. And all of this happened under my watch..." Edward trailed off.

Even through the fog of shock and barely comprehending what he was hearing, Tom realised that Edward was going on trial for something someone else did.

"Bummer...." was all Tom managed. He looked over at Edward who smiled back.

"Yes, bummer..." Edward responded looking pained. John rolled his eyes.

"Oh give it a f***king rest Edward. Don't you get sick of your own bull****? You're haven't exactly kept to the rules either. Exhibit A?" John pointed at Bella. "You fell for a human and told her about vampires. But for some reason that was OK. And what about Seattle? Why didn't the Volturi react then? But I do some experimenting and I end up on trial." John finished glaring at Edward.

"I mean how can you stand it??? At the gigs. All that young blood pumping. Hotties practically throwing themselves at us, offering their nubile bodies. Asking you to take them. And don't get all righteous with me. You can barely control yourself from killing Bella. You told me so yourself."

That did it. Edward moved at imperceptible speed and he was on top of John. His voice was cool, smooth and threatening.

"I've been a vampire for almost a hundred years and I've done things you can only imagine in your worst nightmares. I've hunted, devoured, gorged on and drained more than I dare to count. As I'm sure you remember when I decapitated Victoria and the rest of the Seattle gang. And I enjoyed every single one. Human and Vampire alike. So don't tempt me John." Edward finished glaring at John who didn't dare move. Edward was still like a magnificent marble statue.

Tom finally and completely accepted the truth. _Oh my God! He's a vampire! Oh God.......How the hell will I get out of this one alive? And look at Izzy...she still seems completely OK with all of this....._

On the contrary. Bella was struck dumb and she felt sick. She'd never fully appreciated Edward as the dangerous hunter he was. He never looked less human and she never felt more like a meal.

Edward finally moved away from John slowly but still focused on him.

"But no more. I will never kill a human again. Being a Cullen is a choice, John. We all made a commitment to ourselves and each other not to kill. And it's a choice you have to take every day. And Bella? She's my life. I love her, so that choice is an easy one." Edward finished. He could see that John was bubbling away under the surface, but he didn't say anything.

Edward sat back next to Bella. _Oh dear, she looks upset..._He looked over at Tom and could hear his mind racing with fear and realisation of the truth. _Well at least he realises the truth now..._

No-one spoke for the rest of the ride.

**********

Sam slammed down the phone and felt his body buzzing with adrenaline brought on by the fury of what he was faced with. Not only would the Cullens be back in force, he would have to deal with actual bloodsucker royalty.

"BLOODY, F***ING Leeches!!!!!" he shouted. He was glad to be alone. He felt his anger bubbling to the point of losing control and phasing. He needed to calm down and figure out how to deal with all of this and keep everyone in the area safe.

_Man, I'd like to call up Sherif Swan and tell him just how much trouble his Bella caused everyone in Forks....But, of course I won't do that...._

_Without asking permission first..._

He decided to get the pack together, the tribe elders and put a plan together. He realised they would need to collaborate with the Cullens once more, but he also wanted to make sure that this was the last time. After that, the Cullens are banished forever.

************

The final period finally dragged to an end. _Finally!!!!!!_ It had been a particularly dull day at school and Logan could not wait to get out. It was only another week of school before they broke for the summer. So it was sloooooooooow.

And Jake texted her that morning that he was back in town and would pick her up. So, she was on cloud nine. Recently, with the weird stuff going on he was mostly stuck with 'pack business' in La Push. Even though she found it incredibly exciting and sexy to have a werewolf for a boyfriend, the pack business was increasingly getting in the way of her time with Jake. And to top all of that off, she hadn't had much sleep last few nights. She had a selection of steamy dreams about Jake mixed in with nightmares about him getting hurt.

The bell rang and she swore she could smell Jake's musky smell._ I must be hallucinating..._still, she ran out of the school building and there he was. _Yay!!!_

Jake was leaning on his Harley staring at cars passing. He looked tired and a bit anxious. _Uh-oh...not looking happy..._At that moment he looked up and smiled at her with a smile that made her knees melt away. She ran over to him and threw herself on him with full force. Not that actually made any impact on his huge frame.

"What an amazing surprise! How come you're here? I thought you were in La Push today? Sam let you off the leash?" Logan teased and then kissed him.

"Something like that... and I don't know how long I have, so...wanna go for a ride?" Jake smiled. But there was worry behind the smile. And Logan was not good ignoring such signals.

"Babe, is something wrong? I mean, I'm totally up for a ride, but you look a bit worried." She asked. Her stomach tightened.

"Erm....yeah...let's get out of here and go for a ride, I'll tell you about it later. Promise. OK?" He squeezed her tightly and they rode off.

It was a perfect day for a ride. Sunny, no wind. They were already out of the city. They were going east. Jake seemed to relax. But, Logan was not a patient person. She wanted to stop right that second and find out what was wrong. The worry on Jake's face filled her with dread. He didn't really tell her much about the trouble they had in La Push but his mood now made her anxious.

_Oh my God! If anything happened to Jake, I would, I would.... _

She felt a surge of anger and adrenaline. She felt hot and alert. She needed to know. Now. She tugged at his jacket and asked him to stop.

"Sweetie, you know I can't take this kind of tension. I need to know. What's going on?"

Faced with Logan's anxious face, Jake was unable to keep the pretence and the worry spilled out. That didn't help as Logan looked even more anxious. He exhaled deeply and rubbed his forehead.

"Babe... erm...Logan..."

"Yes? Tell me Jake!"

"OK, we have a major situation. You know the stuff we found on the Leech house? Well, it turned out it was a message for the Cullens by some kind of royalty...the Cullens messed up. They may have to come back here and deal with it and that spells trouble for Forks, La Push. We have to need to be prepared to fight." Jake finished.

"What you're telling me is that you may have to defend La Push and Forks because of the Cullens? Why do you have to put yourself in danger for these monsters?" Logan asked impatiently. She felt very protective of Jake and any thought of him getting hurt made her incredibly angry. And at that moment she started feeling as if her blood was going to boil as her anger spilled out. She actually felt as if she was trembling. It felt odd.

"It's my duty Logan. That's why. There's no question about it!" he answered back in the same impatient tone. They stared at one another.

"Bloody, F****ing Leeches!!!!" She shouted in frustration. She never swore. Ever. Jake looked at her with a surprised, amused look.

"Yup, my feelings exactly. Listen honey, I don't know how this is going to work out and I may need to go back tonight. We at least have this beautiful sunny afternoon. So, I wanted a ride with you before all of this hits us. Do you think we could do that?" Jake pleaded.

Logan's insides melted being faced with his worried face and her anger was instantly replaced with immeasurable love. She gave Jake a long kiss and they rode off. But she could still feel every muscle in her body trembling.

**Translations:**

**_Lo so, carissimo mio. É la tua linea specialle. Carlisle, amico mio, come stai?_ = I know, my dear. It's your special line. Carlisle, my friend, how are you?**

**_Si, si. Ma questa é una situazione complicata._ = Yes, yes. But this is a complicated situation**

**_Dimmi per favore, amico caro._ = Tell me, please, dear friend.**


	17. More trouble

**More trouble**

_This is just too weird._

Bella was sitting at the Cullen dining table in Forks. She was surrounded by everyone that ever mattered anything in her life. Except for her mother.

_Edward and Jake at the same table...not exactly friendly, but they seem to be civil...and having a constructive conversation._

Bella observed Charlie. He was frowning and listening intensely. He was hearing things beyond his wildest dreams. Billy Black, with the help of Carlisle and Sam, was filling Charlie in on several years' worth of supernatural wonders in his back yard. And he seemed completely calm about it. He sensed her gaze and looked over at Bella with a mix of love and annoyance. He was still upset that she never called to inform him she would be back. He was in complete disbelief and shock that she was back with Edward after all of the heartache. But he had bigger fish to fry just that moment. He smiled at Bella and continued listening to Billy.

_At least he's not freaking out. I guess I got the talent for the weird from him. Or it may have to do with Jasper focusing on him closely....but look at Tom! He's completely lost and stunned..._

Her beloved mate Tom was in mild state of shock. After they landed and were 'released' into Cullen care, Bella and Edward came up with a story and they managed to get Tom to call his family. So they all thought that he won some geeky scientific prize to go to a prestigious medical research conference in Seattle. _And they bought it! _Bella was still in disbelief, but whatever worked. Convincing Zoya of his sudden disappearance was less easy. Basically, Bella got Edward to smooth talk Zoya and say that he invited Tom to the Firefly studio sessions in Seattle. Zoya being a fan of the band (_and having a pulse_) was not resistant to Edward's charms and disaster in Tom's love life was averted. _For now._

Bella and Alice had a tearful reunion. Bella cried, and Alice insisted she would have done too if she could. Alice was clearly trying to hide something bad in the future. But, in the light of the several potential disasters that could ensue in the next few days, Bella didn't want to know and hugged her beloved friend.

Reunion with the rest of the Cullens was warm and loving. Even Rosalie thawed out a bit, while Emmett was so happy to see her that he almost crushed Bella to death. Jasper seemed completely over his desire to drain her and gave her a big hug. And then promptly manipulated her feelings to make her feel at ease with the whole situation. Which she appreciated.

And then there was Jake. This would be the first time they saw each other since she walked out their apartment teary all those months ago. She didn't know how either of them would react and she felt nervous. She needn't have worried. As luck would have it, she was going out to get some fresh air when the familiar russet coloured wolf showed up. He stared at her and the approached her uncertainly. Bella could never resist Jake-wolf and she stroked his ears gently. Encouraged with her response, he nuzzled his face in her chest. They stood like that for a while. Bella and the wolf.

_We always did get along best like this...It's so great to smell her again and to have her here. It feels right. As long as she stays human...._

Jake looked at her and moaned. Bella stroked his fur and said simply.

"It's OK, Jake. We'll be OK. Let's get through this mess and then we'll figure things out."

She then went into the house and he showed up a few minutes later. No other words were needed.

So here they all were. The full set. Plus some. And after a very intense and tense 24 hours they had a plan. Which was that the Cullens would attend the trial on their own. The pack would patrol to ensure that only the core Volturi were there and deal with any intruders. Charlie would be kept informed of the progress to ensure public safety.

On the surface, it seemed like a very simple plan. However, given the animosities, lack of loyalty and the fact Volturi were unlikely to play nicely, it was likely that the trial would be a bloody affair.

Carlisle wanted to conclude their discussions to allow everyone to get ready. He stood up and everyone focused on him.

"Thank you all for your cooperation. We brought this upon your community and I hope we can resolve it with minimal losses." The pack made some noises, but one word from Sam and they were quiet. Jake glared at Edward. Carlisle continued.

"The trial is at midnight in two days. The Volturi will not come in force, but the rest assured, they will bring the important members of the coven. Aro is coming without Marcus and Caius. He's bringing Jane, Alec, Chelsea and of course Dimitri is already with John. And I'm sure they'll have a few foot soldiers around. The purpose of this trial is to deal with John, but I know what they really want is to break up the family and to get Edward and Alice. However, Aro likes rules and regulations. That may play in our favour he doesn't consider that anyone else has broken any laws." Carlisle stopped briefly and observed the room. He paused on Bella.

"I want to focus this trial on John and no-one else. It's inevitable we will lose him. Let's hope he's the only one." Carlisle looked around the room.

"My goal is to prevent escalation to anyone else getting hurt. We are a strong coven, but they are ruthless and gifted. And this is why I need your help. I hope we can overcome our differences this once. After this time, my family will not come back to Forks unless invited by the pack. Go and rest, prepare for the battle". Carlisle finished his speech.

********

_Well, I can safely say that this has been the weirdest 24 hours of my life._

Charlie Swan looked around the room. He was surrounded by familiar faces of his friends and neighbours. And none of them were what he thought they were. His entire existence and belief system had been shaken to the core. And his frail and sensitive daughter had dealt with this for years. _Tough cookie!_

He looked over at his daughter talking to Edward quietly. She looked up at Charlie and smiled at him and he walked over to her. They never had to say much to each other. He held her close and kissed her head. She pulled away.

"You OK Charlie?" He hated her calling him that. But he decided to let it slide given the circumstances.

"Always am Bells. How about you sweetie? That's a lot of stuff you had to keep from your old man. Are you happy?" Her smile said it all. She clearly was.

"Well OK then. Lunch tomorrow, in town? Bring your little friend, the one that's lookin' shell-shocked."

He turned and left. Sue Clearwater followed him to the car and they drove off.

*********

Jake was riding back to Seattle. He was speeding, but he didn't care. He wanted to be with Logan more than ever before. For the first time since becoming a werewolf he was worried about their chances of winning a fight. The Cullens did not paint a pretty picture. These Volturi were a seriously dangerous bunch with their freak show of vampires with different powers.

_It almost makes you like the Cullens...just the thought makes me shudder. _

He made it to Logan's in one piece. She was standing at the door, waiting for him (_as always_) looking anxious. She ran to him and threw herself into his arms. They stood like that for a moment.

"Sweetie, are you OK? You're burning up." Jake was worried. Logan looked pale and feverish.

"I'm fine, I'm fine...tell me what happened. What's going on?" Logan asked impatiently.

"OK, but let's get inside." Jake promised he would tell her about the plans for the trial. After the obligatory chit-chat with Caleb and Fran, Logan dragged Jake to her room.

"OK, spill." Logan stared at Jake anxiously. He was thinking about how to explain without making her worry. He decided to go for the truth.

"There will be a vampire trial held at the Cullen residence in 2 days. The Cullens, some of their friends and a whole other bunch of much worse vampires are coming over. The trial is for John, the youngest Cullen. He is killing humans. Edward will be there..." he explained.

"And I'm guessing Bella as well?" Logan interrupted him. Jake looked at her in surprise.

"Yes. But that is really not the most important fact, don't you think?" He was annoyed.

"Logan, this is big, serious stuff we are facing here. Please understand that this could all end VERY badly. We need to work closely with the Cullens to make sure if these other bloodsuckers get rowdy, we get them all killed. 'Cos if we don't we're facing a massive war. And people will die. So the FACT that BELLA is there is REALLY not the KEY point." He was more than annoyed now.

_She needs to appreciate how serious this is!!!! _

She was staring at him wide-eyed, pale and feverish. She looked completely panicked. He immediately regretted losing his temper and tried to make her feel better.

"Sweetie, I am a big, BIG wolf. I am fast. And I am motivated. Don't worry about me. Last time we dealt with a whole bunch of vamps, I didn't get a scratch on me. And the pack is bigger now. All of the Cullens are here. And I hate to admit it, but those guys can fight. And Edward is super fast. He can read minds - that helps. And ultimately, if the vamps want to kill each other, I'm not going to stop them...So, I don't want you to worry." Jake finished confidently even though he didn't really buy into the whole plan.

Logan managed a weak smile. Jake sat next to her and held her close. She still felt feverish, but seemed more relaxed. She suddenly sat on top of him and kissed him violently. As if she had to release all the tension through that one kiss.

_Well, it's certainly working for me..._

Jake felt anxiety melting from his body and being replaced with an altogether different kind of tension. Logan seemed determined to push things to a different level and Jake was struggling with his conscience.

_No, no, no...Caleb would have my head on a plate...._

So he gently pushed Logan away and instead held her head on his chest. She seemed to relax and after only a couple of minutes, she was fast asleep. Jake lay there enjoying the peace before he had to go back to La Push. Soon after he was asleep too.

***

Logan woke with a start. Jake was holding her close and snored quietly. She looked at him and a wave of worry overcame her.

_Oh my God, if anything happens to him, I'll...I don't know, I'll get those bastard leeches...I...!_

The temporary sense of peace was replaced once more with feverish fury. She started trembling again.

_Calm down Logan, you don't want him to see you worry like this! Com'on!_

Jake stirred and opened his eyes. He looked at the clock on the wall. It was midnight.

"Oh wow, it's late. I gotta go babe. I'm taking over patrol in an hour." He jumped off the bed and was getting ready to leave. Logan was suddenly completely overtaken by panic.

"Don't go Jake! Please, please, please don't go. Surely they can do this without you? Please sit this one out. What if something happens to you, I...just don't...." She pleaded hysterically.

"Logan, CALM down. You know I can't do that. Sweetie, it'll be fine, we have a good plan and fighting is our last resort." He was really convincing himself. Logan looked panicked and that didn't help him leave.

"I have a bad feeling about this one Jake, please stay..." she whispered.

"I can't babe." He kissed her quickly and ran out. Logan sat on the bed dejectedly and cried. She really felt as is she was never going to see Jake again. Her tears were soon replaced with anger that Jake was facing such danger and she felt fiercely protective of him. She wanted to be there to protect him.

_Stupid, like I could help..._

Again, she started feeling the trembling in her muscles and adrenaline surging through her. And then she blacked out.

*****************

The house was finally quiet. All those buzzing minds were out. Edward felt weary, tense, disappointed, hurt, angry and strangely, he felt horny. He stood very still looking out of the window in his room, while he could hear Bella's regular breathing as she slept. Her scent penetrated his nostrils and he took in the burning feeling. His hunger for her was back. In more ways than one. He imagined himself just giving in to his ultimate desire and devouring her, drinking every last drop of her divine blood. He found himself an inch away from her neck taking in her scent. His mouth was drooling with venom. He licked his lips and her neck. _I could just... _

He snapped out of his reverie and was horrified at his thoughts. He was hungry.

_I need to eat! I need to HUNT! _

So he left Bella in his room and called Emmett and Jasper to go hunting with him. Like they used to around here. Three brothers. They ran far into the mountains and Emmett soon found his favourite snack, a bear. He played for a while wrestling the huge animal and then had a feast. Jasper kept running and came across a small wolf. And where there's one, there are more, so Jasper started his favourite game of strategy with the pray. Edward kept running to find his favourite snack. Mountain lion. He hadn't had one for a very long time. And then he picked up a scent and ran full speed. And that was faster than any animal. He let his hunting instincts take over and he emptied his mind. On some level he noticed the glow of Seattle, but kept running.

_Almost...come on kitty...There!_

He grabbed the lion and went straight for the jugular vein. He was just about to bite and then his focus was interrupted with a girl's voice screaming. He stopped and looked around. He held onto the lion and realised the noise came from the animal.

He dropped the lion, which growled at him. He realised that the lion was much larger than the usual size. It's mind was racing with confused thoughts. He picked up a name.

_Logan? In my day, that was a boy's name._

"Logan?" he repeated the name loudly. The beautiful feline eyes stared at him transfixed. Her thoughts were a mess.

"What's going on? Where am I? Who is this?....." was about as coherent as he could pick up.

"Logan?" He repeated the question and all he heard was _How does he know my name?_

He didn't really know what to do. He was starving, and here was the biggest, juiciest mountain lion he ever came across.

_But she's a girl...juicy...No, Edward calm down. Talk to her, she seems completely panicked._

"Logan..." He tried again.

"Logan, listen to me, can you phase back?" He went for his smoothest, most velvety tone, hoping she would calm down enough to listen.

"What do you mean phase back? I'm not a werewolf...." She finally responded to something.

_Oh boy, she doesn't seem to realise what happened to her... _

"Edward!" he heard Jasper call him. To any other ears it was a whisper, but as a vampire his hearing was very acute. He sensed both his brothers approaching. He took his eyes away from Logan and the next second he was faced with a panic stricken blue eyed teenage girl with messy black hair. Naked.

He quickly gave her his sweater. She took it without words.

Jasper and Emmett walked up to Edward.

"What's going on bro?" Emmett asked. "Who is this?"

"That...was my meal. She was a mountain lion about 30 seconds ago." Jasper and Emmett stared at the girl in Edward's sweater.

"But she doesn't stink..." Emmett managed to say.

"Yup, we have a mountain lion shape shifter. To add to the mess we're in. She's in shock. She needs a bed and some clothes. And I am starving. So, you take her back to the house. The girls will take care of her. Alice always likes new toys..." He paused." She's in total shock, I doubt she'll remember anything." Edward finished and then got ready to leave.

"I...am going hunting. See you later" And he was off. His brothers stood there with a half naked girl on their hands. She still looked shocked.

"OK...I guess we take her back. Emmett, you carry her, I'll go ahead to inform Carlisle." Jasper ran off.

*************

Edward wondered through the woods slowly. Slowly for a vampire that is. He gorged on a couple of deer and finished it off with a mountain lion. This time a real one. No longer starving, he felt at peace and was relaxed.

_Not as relaxed as the other night..._

He was close to the house and he picked up Bella's scent and he sped up. He entered his room through the window and saw Bella as he left her a few hours earlier. Now no longer hungry, his thoughts went in a completely different direction. And this time he had no intention of stopping. He kissed Bella gently at first to wake her up. She opened her eyes and moaned softly. Edward pressed his lips harder against hers and started caressing her. Bella, now completely awake responded with equal enthusiasm and pulled off his shirt. He picked her up and pinned her against the wall. He moved his lips from hers, down her neck and then grabbed her breast and licked her nipples. She moaned loudly and they were both ready. He entered her and they made love violently. It was intense and fast. Afterwards Edward kissed Bella, now more gently and lay her back on the bed. He stroked her hair and Bella fell asleep within minutes. He relaxed and listened to her breathing. _Complete satisfaction..._

*****************

Bella heard Edward's voice call to her softly.

"Bella honey, it's time to get up." She opened her eyes slowly and saw him smiling at her. He looked a lot healthier than he did in the last couple of days.

"Have you been hunting? You're looking very healthy and relaxed." Bella stated.

"Yes, I did hunt. But how I feel is much more related to what we did last night." He pressed his lips against hers quickly and got up. He was completely naked. So was she. Bella suddenly remembered what happened and realised why she was feeling a lot more relaxed too. _I could get used to this..._

"There's been a development." Edward said simply. His tone was relaxed.

"Oh?" She waited for him to speak. Edward sat next to her and explained what happened last night.

"LOGAN????" Bella almost shouted. Edward looked at her surprised.

"What's so special about Logan? Besides being a girl and a mountain lion?" Edward was baffled by Bella's reaction. Bella shook her head and replied slowly and deliberately.

"Well, Logan is the name of the girl that Jake imprinted on." She stopped. Now it was Edward's turn to be shocked. Bella half jumped off the bed and started getting dressed.

"I gotta see her. Where is she?" Bella asked. Edward held her shoulders and tried to slow her down.

"Wait, Bella, listen, Logan was in complete shock last night, I doubt she remembers anything. Alice and Tom are with her in the kitchen. Take it easy, OK?" Bella nodded and walked downstairs to the kitchen. She smelt food and saw Tom talking to someone. He was listening to a gravelly girl's voice chattering away.

"Well, I don't remember anything, but I think I was trying to get to Jake's, that's my boyfriend. He's in La Push. I guess that's quite close to here? I don't know what happened. Next thing I know, I am waking up and Alice told me her brother found me and that her dad was a doctor and like, I was fine, but had a con.. concussion ...I do feel quite dizzy and sick. And then Alice let me get anything from her wardrobe. I mean have you seen that wardrobe? It's AWESOME. I guess, you're a guy, you probably don't care. It's like, so amazing." She just babbled on. Bella stood behind the door and saw a baffled Tom nodding. Tom turned and saw Bella and smiled a relieved smile. He was clearly overwhelmed with this motor mouth tomboy.

"Morning Izzy. Hungry? Alice made waffles. They're great." Bella smiled and walked forward. Edward walked in after her.

"Yeah, I'm starved. Alice? Wow, waffles. Any coffee?" She smiled at a pretty young girl with wild black hair and deep blue eyes. _So this is the cause of my heartache? She does look very cute and a bit scared..._ Logan smiled back looking a bit anxious.

"Hey Logan, right? How are you feeling?" Bella asked.

"Oh, I'm fine, but I really want to call my dad. And Jake..." Logan responded. Bella smiled and bit into her waffle. Alice came over and hugged Bella and gave her a squeeze on the shoulder. Bella looked up and noticed that Edward and Alice were up to their old communication tricks. Edward smiled at Logan and introduced himself.

_I guess they want me to fill her in on the situation...._

"Yeah, of course, you can use the phone here. Is that Jacob Black you're talking about?" Bella asked. Logan's eyes lit up and she practically jumped off her seat.

"Yes! Yes, do you know him?" she asked. Bella nodded.

"Yes, we all do...quite well actually. In fact let me call him, you just finish your waffles. You still look a bit weak." Bella grabbed Edward's cell and dialled the number she spent so many months trying to forget. Edward sat down and chatted to Logan, Jasper came in and suddenly Logan looked calmer.

"What do you want Leech?" Jake barked down the phone.

"Jake, it's Bella."

"Oh...erm...Bella...hi... sorry about that. What's up? I'm kinda busy erm...Logan is not answering her phone... I'm going nuts here..." Jake sounded anxious.

"She's here Jake. Edward brought her in. He found her in the woods." Bella said.

"What? What do you mean woods? What's going on? Is this some kind of threat? What's going on?" Jake screamed down the phone.

"CALM DOWN. Jake, she's fine. Edward was hunting last night. He caught a mountain lion. It was Logan." Bella waited for this to sink in.

"What are you saying? Mountain lion? What kind of nonsense is this? I'm coming over..." Jake slammed down the phone. Bella went back to the kitchen.

"Jake's on his way. He should be here any minute now. You know how fast he is as a wolf." She smiled at Logan. Logan looked at her confused.

"How.. do.. you know?" Logan asked staring at Bella.

"OK...erm....OK. Logan, I'm Bella, Bella Swan." Bella started. She paused smiling at Logan who was now in complete shock.

"So, I guess you know who I am. You're in the Cullen house. Edward found you in the woods last night." Bella finished.

"NO WAY! Bella? Edward? You're all leeches? But ...You guys are all so nice....and Alice..." Logan stuttered.

"Yes...we generally are Logan. Listen, Edward will have to tell you something else."

Edward recounted what happened last night. Logan stayed relatively calm thanks to Jasper's influence, but she was completely speechless. She kept looking from face to face in disbelief.

There was an impatient ring and several strong knocks on the door. Rosalie, who kept well away from the whole thing opened and let Jake in. _Oh. The smell....yuk..._

Jake burst into the kitchen and went straight to Logan. He held her close as if his life depended on it. This was the first time Bella saw him like this and she recognised the same look of love she saw on Sam.

Jake unpeeled himself from Logan and glared at the room. He was furious, anxious, thankful and curious all at the same time.

"See, she's fine Jake. She's in a bit of a shock as we just filled her in on what happened. I think you may want to thank Edward at this point... and Alice. And the rest of the family for that matter." Bella spoke first.

"Thank. ... You. ... Edward." Jake really struggled. Edward nodded. Alice and Jasper observed and Tom just looked baffled.

After that everything happened quickly. Jake called Sam, informed him of what happened. Jake then phoned Caleb who screamed down the phone at him. Jake managed to sell him a story about a weekend camping, surprising Logan very early in the morning and being on the road. Caleb just about bought it. But they were in massive trouble with him. _Whatever! _Jake and Logan left and there was a general sigh of relief at the Cullen residence.

_Not our problem any more...._

If only.

****************

The whole pack was gathered in Billy Black's garden. And everyone was in complete wonder over Logan. They kept asking her questions about her tribal connections and she ended up breaking down and crying. Jake tried to calm everyone down and then Leah lost her patience and snapped at Jake. They had a heated argument. And the next moment, they were all faced with a large mountain cat growling at Leah. She stood in front of Jake protectively. Leah instinctively phased as well and growled back.

"OK, so we know what sets her off. Jake in danger. And let's face it, with this trial, we all are." Sam concluded. "Logan, honey, can you phase back. It's OK. No-one is attacking Jake. Are they Leah?"

Sam was staring at a half naked figure of Leah. She nodded. Logan-cat stopped growling and within a few seconds she was back in her human form. She was drenched in sweat and looked pale. Emily put a blanked over her. Logan smiled weakly.

"I remember! I remember what happened!!!! Jake, you left yesterday and I got really anxious. I blacked out and then was suddenly running out of Seattle. I was in the woods and something grabbed me. It was Edward. He reads minds, right? Anyway he called my name and then I was human again. Jasper and Emmett took me back. I woke up and they took really good care of me." Logan was back to babbling. She didn't care. _I remember!!!!_

"That's great, but we need to know how to control this Logan. We can't have you running around during this trial. It is likely to get nasty and I WILL be in danger. And it's all happening in about a day." Jake was worried.

"I couldn't talk to her, you know, share thoughts." Leah said. "I tried to get her to calm down. Nothing...we seem to have a problem there."

"Edward could read my thoughts! Yes!!!" Logan tried to be helpful. Every face in the room stared at her in disbelief except for Seth.

"Yeah, we could get Edward to help. If Logan will phase anyway, she could communicate through Edward..." Seth stopped talking as he became the focus of a menacing silence.

"I'm just saying...."


	18. Trial

**Chapter 18 - Trial**

Edward stood in a pool of blood. Bella was lying by his side shaking in spasms. Next to her was the lifeless body of Tom with a look of horror on his pale face. He looked up and saw Logan, naked and bloody lying a little further. Jake was kneeling over her crying. Emmett and Jasper were burning John's body. Carlisle was talking to Sam. And the Volturi were slowly walking away.

Edward was frozen amongst all this his brain buzzing.

_It had all gone so horribly wrong....._

* * *

The trial was about to start. They were standing in a clearing in the woodlands of the Olympic Peninsula far from any possible intrusion by humans. Aro was standing surrounded by Jane, Alec and Chelsea. Opposite them were the Cullens with Edward and Carlisle at the front. In between them was John guarded by Dimitri. Bella and Tom were standing on the Cullen side. And in the woods behind, the pack was surrounding them in a circle. Logan was standing next to Jake.

It was a clear night with strong moonshine. _At least I can see what's going on. Man it's freezing..._ _Poor Tom, he's totally petrified. _

Bella was observing the Volturi. Aro looked as if he was made of paper, his skin was so dry. Jane and Alec were beautiful and young and very intimidating with their bright red eyes. She glanced over to Edward who was focusing on John who looked like a caged lion - scared and ready to pounce.

Everyone was silent. Aro nodded and Carlisle walked up to him.

"Carlisle, caro mio, I am disappointed to see that you thought it necessary to bring the dogs to this trial. Or the lovely Tanya and her sisters. You know I hate violence and I like to get things done quickly." Aro smiled at Carisle.

"I have the same intentions. And I only want to protect my family and our way of life. And Tanya is family. And the pack has the right to be aware of what's happening on their turf. Surely you know that the most important thing to me is fairness. See for yourself." And with that, Carlisle held Aro's hand. Aro winced slightly with the flow of thoughts coming through their contact.

"Yes, indeed protect your way of life. I respect that. But does that include John? Who betrayed you and your beloved Edward?" Aro raised his eyebrows and bored his red eyes into Carlisle's topaz. "Well, let's get this started."

Aro let go of Carlisle who walked back to stand next to Edward. He looked over to John and gave him a reassuring smile. John looked at his feet.

"We are here to put a judgement on John Cullen for his reckless and careless killing and exposing the vampires to the public once again." Aro paused and looked over the Cullens lingering on Edward. He turned to John who looked furious and burst out.

"And what about the band? Huh? The Firefly are the biggest new band! Our pictures are everywhere!!!" John stopped as Dimitri grabbed him tighter. Aro seemed amused by this outburst and spoke calmly.

"Carrino, I admire your talents and your achievements. Your music is ...bellissima. And until your recent indiscretions I would have gladly let you continue. But..." Aro's voice took a menacing tone.

"We've fought for centuries for humans to forget about us. Vampires are but a legend, a myth. And you, John, have decided to disregard centuries of tradition. And rules. For a few thrilling moments. And you didn't even try to conceal your killings. So much so, that in Italy and Spain, the news are speculating about vampires. You've become a threat to our existence." Aro stopped. His voice was liquid ice and menace. Not a whisper could be heard.

"You are not the first. Or the only one. Or the last. And there is only one way to deal with rouges. John Cullen nee Scott, you will die tonight." Aro finished. John growled and went for Aro.

"Jane?" Aro said calmly. Jane looked at John and he immediately screamed in pain. He was twisting and turning. He started shaking.

"Enough, Jane. Dimitri, hold him." Aro ordered.

"Once again, young one, you did not follow protocol. This is a trial and I want to hear your side. Give me your hand." Dimitri pushed John's hand into Aro's. After a short moment, Aro spoke again.

"I see. No remorse for the killing. Well, you are a hunter, I didn't expect that. You still don't see your fault. And interestingly, you blame Edward. And his human. Bella. " Aro moved his eyes and focused on Bella. Bella froze in horror being faced by Aro's inquisitive eyes. Aro faced John again.

"You blame them for your death. For becoming a vampire. Interesting. But you chose to live with Edward and his family."

"I was disgusted with what I was doing. I couldn't kill any more. But, when Edward found Bella again...I could feel his lust for her. I just couldn't control the urge anymore...." John answered. Aro let go of his hand and looked over at Edward and the rest of the Cullens.

"I am intrigued by your perspective John. What the Cullens are doing is unnatural. I have been fascinated with Carlisle's family for a long time. But, you see, they followed the rules. Carlisle made sure our secret never got out. He moved around. He chose remote places to live his pretend life. His day life. Forks seemed a particular favourite. He even made a pact with the shifter tribe. All to pursue his ideal of protecting humans and living his _vegetarian_ life style. And it worked, but then young Edward fell in love with this human. And it all fell apart." Aro was staring at Edward. And then he focused on Bella again. Edward moved instinctively to Bella to protect her.

"Oh, don't worry, my dear Edward, I won't hurt your human. But John is right... you did break the rules by telling her about your nature." Aro stated matter-of-factly.

"He didn't tell me. I guessed!" Bella burst out. Aro raised his eyebrows and walked closer to her.

"Oh, she's brave too. To oppose. And interrupt the proceedings...interesting." He grabbed her hand with lightning speed.

"Ah!" Aro gasped and opened his eyes. He dropped her hand.

"Nothing. I'm getting nothing! Fascinating..." He grabbed Edward's hand before he could move it and gasped again.

"Tua cantante? And you can't read her mind either? Well, I can certainly understand your attachment..." Aro paused and looked back at Bella. He kept Edward's hand in his and focused back on him.

"But you gave her up to a shifter? Jake Black. To protect her? What a strange decision. Shifters are notoriously unstable, aggressive and violent. Surely you know that?" Aro finally dropped Edward's hand and walked back to his spot between Alec and Jane.

"Carlisle, yours really is a strange family. I really can't understand your decision to fraternise with these filthy animals - so crude and violent. It's a wonder Bella is still alive with this wolf Jake around her." Aro spoke nonchalantly. Everyone was quietly observing him.

And in a split second, things changed.

Edward turned around with lightning speed and shouted.

"Logan, NO. DON'T!!!" But it was too late. A large mountain cat was running towards Aro ready to pounce.

Dimitri saw the animal and let go of John. He jumped at the animal and grabbed it by the neck and slammed it to the ground. The cat whined and fell silently.

"Noooooooooo!" Jake screamed and the next split second he was in his wolf form jumping on Aro. Dimitri smashed his large hand into Jake's nozzle and Jane focused her eyes on him. The next second he was twisting in pain on the ground.

Carlisle observed all this in horror and looked over at Aro. He was standing calmly. Jane was still focusing on Jake.

In the next moment, the pack was running out of the woods to pounce. Aro nodded and Jane focused on Sam. He whinned and fell on the floor. Emmett, Alice, Jasper and Rosalie were ready to attack.

"No, no...stop it. Aro, amico mio, perfavore. Stop this...." Carlisle pleaded. He held Aro's hand and let him see that Logan was just a little girl and a very young shifter. In love with Jake.

"Jane. Call off the dogs Carlisle." Aro said.

"Sam, please, we need to stop this. Please tell them to phase back." It was Edward who spoke. Seth was already back in his human form standing next Sam and Edward.

Bella was observing in shock. Logan's bloody head. Jake' naked form unconscious. Edward standing by Sam's side, getting the pack to calm down. Carlisle holding on to Aro. Jane, Alec and Dimitri surrounding him menacingly.

_Wait, where's John?_

"IZZY!" was the last thing Tom said. Bella watched in horror as John snapped his neck and pounced at her. She felt a sting in her neck and blood flowing out.

"Bella!!!!!!" she heard Edward's voice as she felt a horrendous pain spreading through her. She felt a tug and saw Edward's sweet face looking at her in horror.

"Bella, no, no, no...Bella can you hear me....Bella!!!" She managed a smile. And then blacked out.

*******************

Charlie was numb. He was sitting in his empty kitchen at the table with a beer. He was trying to comprehend what had happened a week ago. His life had changed forever.

The table was filled with newspapers and fancy music magazines that he's never even heard of, let along read. He took a sip of beer and picked up a magazine from the top. Rolling stone.

He saw a picture of Edward, John and two other kids looking sultry at him from the page. Under their picture the title read:_ RIP John Scott. Young talent cut short. How will the Firefly regain it's glow?_

He picked up another couple of magazines with similar pictures and titles underneath.

_I guess they were doing well..._

He then picked up the local daily newspaper showing a picture of the Cullen house.

_Tragedy hits in Forks. Young lives lost in house fire after party_

He sighed, rubbing his forehead and flicked through a number of other dailies both local and national all with similar stories of tragic deaths and talents lost.

_It worked. But how am I ever going to be able to deal with what happened to Bella?_

At that moment the phone rang in the corridor. Charlie was old-fashioned and liked his fixed phone.

"Chief Swan" Charlie sighed out his name.

"_Dad?"_


	19. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_'Hey hon, am on my way. Stuck in traffic. I could run faster!' _she put the phone down on the seat and continued driving very slowly.

_Finally! _

She parked the car. She grabbed the large hat and the sunglasses and got out. She walked into the cafe and she was greeted by a big, happy smile. They held each other briefly and Bella pulled away.

"Oh, I can't sweetie. I mean, the smell...eugh..." She looked up at Logan and smiled. She was looking at a young woman where a teenage drama queen used to be. Logan still had messy short hair and it suited her best. Her eyes had developed a more feline look and she seemed to move around like a cat. But her voice was just as gravelly as it used to be.

"Yeah, I know what you're talking about Leech. You're an icicle! And you don't smell that great either..." Logan laughed.

"It's just so great to see you! It's been exactly two years, ten months and 5 days. And I am finally allowed back into society. You don't know how great that is!" Bella started.

She was EXCITED. She had been stuck in a number of remote places in the world since that day in Forks. After the incredibly painful transformation, she woke up a vampire. Everything was slow, loud and weird. And the smell of blood! It was painful....She fully understood how Jasper felt around her. She was ravenous and the only thing she craved was the sweet human blood. She wanted to kill...

The first few months were the worst. She was constantly hungry and wanted to kill. She felt guilty about Tom. She couldn't stop blaming herself for his death. And the guilt would set her off and she would want to kill again.

She never got to see Zoya to tell her how sorry she was. She never got to see Tom's family. Edward dealt with all of that in the aftermath of the trial when she was too much out of control to be allowed anywhere.

It was only her love for Edward that kept her from killing most of Forks. She needed to be quarantined. So, Edward flew them into the middle of the Brazilian rainforest where he trained her to hunt animals and control her urge to devour whole indigenous villages. They moved around the vastness of South America until she was finally prepared to go back into society. Slowly.

Throughout all of this, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, she kept in touch with Charlie and Renee. Charlie was stuck with explaining to her scatter-brained mother what had happened. And what did Renee say? She wasn't the least bit surprised with all of the supernatural stuff. She thought it was cool and she was very supportive of Bella. As ever.

One surprising outcome of all of this was that Bella became best friends with Logan. They became sort of sisters-in-transformation. They both had to deal with their new situations, they had to control their urges and find a way to live their new life. And Edward was there for both of them.

But one person Bella never spoke to again was Jake. He just could not deal with the fact that she was a vampire. They saw each other only once after her transformation was complete and that had gone badly. Since then, nothing. Not a peep. Logan claimed he tried, but Bella knew better. She was the archenemy. A Leech.

"He's being weird about it. I mean I know you guys are the ultimate tribe enemies, but com'on. We're like family. I started the whole mess with my little outburst at Aro...the Cullens protected all of us!!! Edward tried to stop me and protect me, Carlisle got the bloodshed to stop. And Edward helped me deal with all of this. I just don't understand Jake...it's wrong..." Logan looked up briefly at Bella. Then she exhaled and continued.

"Well...he's coming over later... so he's going to have to talk to you! Good thing he can't read my mind! I'm going to be in so much trouble though." Logan finished. And then she giggled her raspy laugh.

"Hey Bells! I guess we have another thing in common - our boyfriends can't read our minds! And I always make sure Edward can't read anything about you from me...Isn't that great?" They both laughed.

"Well, I did let Edward read my mind once..." Bella said. Logan gasped.

"No way! Really? How?"

"Well it turns out, my mind thing is like a super power...." they both giggled at that. "it's like a shield I can extend to other people. And I can also remove it from my head. So...you know...that was the one thing he could never have and it was a gift." Bella finished smiling.

"Wow...and what did he say?" Logan asked seriously.

"Something along the lines of _I'm glad I don't have to be in your head every day_ " Bella tried to imitate Edward's accent "I mean how rude is that?" Bella pulled a shocked face. And again they laughed.

Logan's cell phone buzzed with a message.

"OK, it's show time. Jake is around the corner. I'll give you guys some time. I'm sure he'll realise how stupid he's been and we can get on with being friends."

"I'm not so sure Logan..." Bella looked uncertain.

"I am." Logan hugged Bella again and then slipped out of the cafe. But as she was leaving she managed another tease.

"Phew! Girl, you need to do something about the smell!" And then she ran out.

Bella sat in the corner with her pretend coffee and faced the entrance to the cafe. And then she saw him. He looked older and more handsome for it. His beautiful face still had the scar of that day where Dimitri hit his forehead. He was smiling and looked relaxed. And then he frowned.

Jake sent Logan a text and was walking to their favourite cafe. He had a busy day and was looking forward to hearing about her day at UW. He walked into the cafe and looked around for her.

At that instance he picked up a scent he tried to push out of his memory. He saw her. Looking beautiful and graceful. Like a marble statue. She smiled at him.

His heart skipped a beat and he felt anxious. But he couldn't deny that he was happy to see Bella. It was Bells. They had been through too much together. He felt a smile spreading on his face.

Jake walked to Bella and sat down. They looked at each other for a few moments. And then Bella jumped up and hugged him.

"I missed you." She whispered. He struggled with her smell and the cold touch. But hearing those words spread warmth through him.

"I missed you too. Oh Bells, I missed you" He broke the hug and now they were both smiling.

"But Logan is still in trouble! I mean, I knew she was in touch with you and the Le...ahem.. Edward, but she managed to keep this pretty quiet."

"Well, she's a smart cookie. Doing science at UW and all. Not that I had anything to do with that..." Bella said.

"Yes. Well, it does feel a little like deja vu. Something might actually stick this time...." Jake responded.

And so they started talking. They talked for hours. Like they used to do. Jake had a coffee, some food, some desert, a beer...hours just melted away. Bella still sat there with her pretend coffee. The cafe closed and they got out and walked the streets of Seattle and ended up in Seaward park.

Both their phones buzzed. It was Logan.

_Everything OK?_

They both got the same message. They looked at each other and laughed.

"So, I guess, we're friends again?" Bella asked.

"Yup, I guess we are. Right back where we started..." Jake flashed his signature smile at Bella.

Another buzz on her phone. This time from Edward.

_Come back to me lover. xxx_

"Listen, Jake, I got to get back to Forks."

"Well, I was planning to go tonight as well."

"I was going to run back. It's soooo much faster than driving. Erm..." Bella paused.

"Yes?" Jake asked.

"Race you there?" Bella asked.

"You bettcha Leech. This should be fun!" Jake responded excitedly.

The next moment a large russet coloured wolf and a graceful dark haired girl were running side by side into the woods.

THE END

**I hope you like the story and the ending. Please write me with your reviews, it´s always great to hear from the readers. **


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